Youth Concerned About Older ‘Delinquents’

Kompas/Alif Ichwan

Lawyer Aga Khan (front left) prepares to escort his client, perjury convict and former House of Representatives member Miryam S Haryani, from the Corruption Court on Nov. 13 following her verdict. Presiding judge Frangki Tambuwun sentenced Miryam to five years in prison and ordered her to pay a Rp 200 million fine or serve an additional three months for giving false testimony in the e-ID card corruption case.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The youth are concerned about the bad behavior of some of the older generation. Behavior that is entirely unacceptable and shameful to youth are sexual abuse and corruption.

This was the conclusion of a Kompas survey of university students conducted in mid-November. Almost 80 percent of 448 students in several cities said they had directly witnessed individuals of their parents’ generation committing ethics and legal violations, from smaller ones such as traffic violations to more serious violations such as physical violence, sexual abuse, adultery and corruption.

More than 60 percent of respondents highlighted three ethical and legal violations committed by the older generation that they found particularly concerning: sexual abuse, corruption and physical violence, such as domestic violence and vigilantism.

The survey also recorded the ethical and legal violations committed by the older generation that they found to be the most shameful. Sexual abuse and corruption top the list at 44 percent and 20.1 percent respectively, followed by traffic violations, theft and adultery.

The respondents said they would dare to take action against those of the older generation who committed such “wicked” acts, with four of five respondents saying that they would not remain silent. They would either rebuke them directly or report them to the police.

Inconsistent

Fransiska Wahyu Indriastuti, a biology student at Yogyakarta’s Sanata Dharma University, said the older generation was inconsistent in what they said. “They often ‘speak out’ against corruption, but then they nearly always engage in corruption,” she said.

The many corruption cases involving senior politicians have also triggered resentment among youth. Ika Puspitasari, 22, a humanities and culture student at Jakarta’s Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University, said it was inexplicable how politicians kept committing corrupt acts while telling the younger generation not to steal.

She was also baffled by politicians who spoke about the importance of obeying the law, who then tried to avoid the law. She pointed to the e-ID corruption case, of which one of the suspects was House Speaker Setya Novanto. “He is the House Speaker. He should not try to dodge the investigation. So then, this is Indonesia,” she said.

Ika was worried that the younger generation might become apathetic if senior politicians kept committing corruption. “Young people would be reluctant to become politicians, because [politics] is identical with corruption,” she said.

Vira Bilqis Oktavia, an international relations student at Jember University, has a similar opinion. “I think delinquent older people include those politicians who like corruption. Politicians should become wiser as they get older so that they become a role model for young people. It shouldn’t be the opposite, that they get older and commit more corruption,” she said.

No surprise

Anna Surti Ariani, or Nina, a senior psychologist at the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Integrated Clinical Psychology, was not surprised by the survey results. “Individuals 17 to 22 years old are typically reactive when they encounter a situation that is wrong. Their thinking is still very idealistic,” the psychologist said on Thursday (23/11).

Nevertheless, she was pleased with the response because it meant that young people cared about what happened around them. What we must do is to make sure that they do not engage in shameful acts, such as corruption and sexual abuse as committed by the older generation.

“Tell them to do things that embarrass people who commit wrongdoings. By making such activities the norm, we will give young people the sense of optimism that they can change things for the better,” Nina added.

Nina was not concerned that young people would follow the bad examples of the older generation, such as corruption and sexual abuse. “The minds of young people continue to develop. They will not be easily swayed by adult behavior,” Nina said.

(HEI/TRI)