Indonesia, Our House

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Cleric and writer KH Ahmad Mustofa Bisri, often called Gus Mus, receives the Yap Thiam Hien Award 2017 for upholding human rights at the National Library Building in Jakarta on Wednesday (24/1).

Mustofa Bisri’s acceptance speech on receiving the 2017 Yap Thiam Hien award reminded us of this big house called Indonesia.

This big house called Indonesia is not without its weaknesses. Economic and social disparities remain wide, law enforcement is still seen as discriminatory, the elite cannot yet be role models, economic, social and cultural rights have not been fully met. It is the reality in this country and cannot be denied.

This reality has to be corrected. However, the way to correct it, according to Mustofa Bisri, was not by destroying this common house called Indonesia. We agree with Mustofa Bisri. The corrections must be carried out in an elegant way, according to that which is appropriate to a democratic country.

The judges of the 2017 Yap Thiam Hien Award selected Mustofa Bisri because the caretaker of the Raudlatut Thalibin Islamic boarding school in Rembang, Central Java, has been fighting for human rights through peaceful mean, not through violence. He pens essays and poems of justice. His struggle against injustice is by way of culture.

The 23rd edition of the Yap Thiam Hien Award has awoken a discourse on human rights. In the 20 years since reform, since freedom of thought and organization had been gained, the human rights discourse has been replaced by an incessant discourse on development. There is nothing wrong with infrastructure development, and it is important. However, it needs to be balanced with the fulfillment of economic, social and cultural rights.

Kompas/P Raditya Mahendra Yasa

Children from various rural districts are still undergoing treatment for malnutrition and measles in Agats General Hospital, Agats district, Asmat regency, Papua, on Thursday (25/1).

The health crisis in Agats, Asmat, Papua, is a manifestation of the unfulfilled rights of people to live a decent life and have access to healthcare. Living a decent life and healthcare access are part of the human rights guaranteed under the 1945 Constitution. These rights must be fulfilled by the government – the regency government, the provincial government and the central government.

We appreciate that the Agats health crisis has mobilized a sense of social solidarity to support and strengthen the nationalist spirit. There is Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini, who sent aid to Asmat, and Indonesian Military (TNI) and police personnel who have engaged in humanitarian operations on the instruction of President Joko Widodo. A number of entrepreneurs also stood up to hand over part of their profit to help others. This is the real way to knit together our sense of unity as a nation. This spirit has to be maintained together in our common house, Indonesia.

Mustofa Bisri’s criticism – that the biggest problems in the common house of Indonesia are injustice, widespread corruption and abusive elite – should be heard by the elite. The people will surely follow the behavior of the elite. We agree with Mustofa Bisri that improving our common house has to be carried out together, too. It cannot be done by a single person, a single group of people, or even a coalition of several groups. If there is a united commitment to maintan the Indonesian house and the state foundation of Pancasila, we believe that the big house called Indonesia will remain standing strong.