Machiavelli and Sun-Tzu may have lived thousands of miles apart, they may have hailed from different continents and may have never met each other — but they spoke the same language. They always agreed that all is fair in politics and war, and that there are no permanent friends and foes… that is, it is right to “use” people to attain your goals and objectives.
Krishna seems to be standing alone in the battlefield of Kurukshetra with a totally different message. The message is now, after 5,000 years, being appreciated the world over, as reported by prestigious Business Week, both in their international and national editions last year.
Krishna is against the use of people. He is willing to work for people without self-interest. He is not even a member of any political party. He is not looking for support and vote. He is with the people, among the people, to serve them.
One of our founding fathers, Sukarno, understood this message. As a public servant, he considered his duty and responsibility towards the people of Indonesia to be above his personal, political and party interests. This is something that yet has to be understood by our politicians today, diplomats, bureaucrats, military and civil personnel — by all of us.
It is high time that our politicians decide whether they want to stand by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu, or by Krishna. Whether they want to use people and make use of their positions — or they want to serve the people.
Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan, very bravely admits in his autobiography that when we use people, we must also be prepared to be used. He mentions the Afghani Mujaheeds. It is a public secret now that they were used by the “trio” of the then Pakistani government, the Saudi regime and U.S. politicians. This indecent affair, in time, gave birth to the Taliban. The rest is history.
Prior to that, the maker of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, used religion and religious issues to create his dream-state — Pakistan. Later, after the birth of the nation, when he made public his vision of Pakistan as a free state where followers of different faiths could live together in peace and harmony — the people and clergy, who felt that they were being used, did not like it. Indeed, someone from the group even tried to kill him.
His successors, from Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, all made use of religious sentiments. They gave in to certain demands made by the radical elements in their society. And the result is for all of us to see.
Musharraf, a true soldier, whatever is said about him by the human rights activists in and outside Pakistan, is trying his very best to transform the image of the country. But it must also be admitted that the task is not an easy one. He is having a very, very hard time.
While Pakistan is trying to amend, to correct their past mistakes, it is rather surprising to see that we, in Indonesia, are making the very same mistakes. Pakistan had to pay a very high price for the mistakes it made, indeed it is still paying. The once East Pakistan is now Bangladesh. Do we realize what the stakes are? Do we realize the social, cultural, political and economical costs of any single wrong move?
Bali twice was bombed, Jakarta several times, and certain areas torn apart by the use of religious sentiments; the radical elements in our society have successfully kept the whole nation hostage. Do we realize this? Are we doing something to free ourselves? Or we are still living under the illusion that this is business as usual?
No, business is not as usual.
When we were kids, we could “always” play and eat and sit in the classroom with other kids. It did not matter if they were Muslims, Christians, Hindus or Buddhists. We were Indonesians. Now the situation is different. Right from a very tender age, our kids are made to realize that they are different. Come the class for religious studies, they are separated. This sense of separation is engraved in their young minds.
No wonder, our politicians today see no problem in establishing separate wings based on religion. A political party that must serve the nation, and its people, irrespective of their religious backgrounds and other differences is now separating its own personnel and members based on religious background.
What are they trying to achieve? To be better understood by the Muslims? But they already are understood. The majority of those voting for them are Muslims. I am talking about the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), a party that I consider a national asset.
Its decision to form Baitul Muslimin (House for Muslims), within its body is a mistake. It is the same kind of mistake committed by Jinnah, for which Pakistan is still suffering. You cannot use religion and religious sentiments to achieve political benefit. Whatever is said by the party and its spokespersons, the creation of Baitul Muslimin cannot be without any political motive.
A national party like the PDI-P must have cordial relations with all — must serve all. And to do so does not require creating a separate wing for religious groups.
If the PDI-P is trying to change its secular image, then it is heading toward total destruction. What the world today needs is a secular outlook that is not anti-religion, but places religion on a high pedestal where it becomes a very private affair between The Creator and the created.
The politicians must stop making use of religious symbols for any purpose and to achieve any political benefit. Religion is above their petty political motives. Indeed it is very irreligious of them to try to benefit from the religious sentiments of the people.
The PDI-P has always been supported by Nahdlatul Ulama, even during their hard days. Now it even has the support of Muhammadiyah. What else do they want?
What we need today is the spirit of Sukarno, the courage of Attaturk, the mind of Roeslan Abdulgani (Cak Rus), the simplicity of Nurcholish Madjid (Cak Nur), the vision of Abudurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), Emha Ainun Nadjib (Cak Nun), M. Dawam Rahardjo, Jalaluddin Rakhmat (Kang Jalal), Mohammad Sobari and others who are already standing by you, PDI-P. Why aren’t you confident of your own strength? Why these signs of weakness and hopelessness? Wake up to your destiny. Wake up to the role that you are destined to play. Do not stray away from the path.
– April 05, 2007