Politicians and Respectability

Kompas/Hendra A Setyawan

E-ID card corruption case suspect Setya Novanto is transferred on Sunday (19/11) to the detention center at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in Kuningan, Jakarta. The KPK took physical custody of Novanto after he was treated at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital for injuries he sustained in a car accident on Thursday (16/11).

Anne Perkins said that politics was as old as humanity itself; former US president Ronald Reagan said that politics was the second oldest profession.

Politics as the relationship between individuals and the society in which they live, according to Ben Dupre, author of 50 Political Ideas You Really Need to Know, is even thought to be the oldest profession. Political behavior is essentially inseparable from being human. Philosopher Aristotle defined humans as zoa politika, or political animals.

Such views are based on the idea that humans express themselves fully and uniquely within the context of a Greek city-state – or a polis, from which the word “politics” is derived. The habitat of political animals, a polis is where they interact cooperatively with one another to establish laws and institutions that serve as guidelines for social order and justice.

There is the noble idea of politics as a way to find compromise between political animals in their battle of ideas on how best to benefit their respective groups. Despite poleis being a product of civilized collaboration or of citizenry, it basically emerges from conflicts, as mankind tends to not agree with each other on many things. Without conflict, there is no need for politics.

We are essentially being driven by a sense of urgency because of the various challenges Indonesians are facing right now, including the high population of poor people, a stagnant economy and lagging development in science and technology.

It is here that politicians can take on a significant role in changing the nation’s fate. In his book Politics, David Runciman wrote about the differences between Syria and Denmark. It is politics that secured the different fates of the two countries: as one suffered from a civil war that led to a refugee crisis, the other thrived in peace and prosperity.

The profession of politician carried out with noble intent carries with it a responsibility and, along with it, a certain sense of respectability. This will lead to, for instance, feeling shame upon doing something unlawful. In Japan, officials resign when their names are linked with corruption cases, never mind being named a suspect or summonsed by force.

This is because such politicians have internalized a sense of genuine dedication. They have a conscience that separates good deeds from the bad, and they have a firm grasp on what rightfully belongs to them and what rightfully belongs to the people. At this point, we may find ourselves truly disappointed that many Indonesian politicians are incapable of internalizing these values and philosophy – or are yet to do so.

Many say that they wish to dedicate themselves until the very end. However, many of these same individuals have been taken away in handcuffs and in the infamous orange jackets to the Corruption Eradication Commission’s detention vehicles. This is a saddening portrait. As many of our politicians have suffered this same fate, self-reflection is necessary. Perhaps we have been developing a misguided political system or, even worse, we are evolving in the wrong way.