"The initiative of clerics to establish a Movement Against Falsehood can be a warning for the government with regard to conditions in the social, economic, political and legal fields in the country," Siti Zuhro, Ph.D, a political researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said here Saturday.
Therefore, the government should optimize the function of clerics as preachers and advisers to bureaucrats, political elites and government officials to motivate them to work for the society and people`s welfare instead of for particular parties, she said.
The first agenda could be a program to eradicate the entrenched mindset of corruption, collusion, and nepotism from political elites, bureaucrats and government officials, she said
According to Siti, the religious clerics were aware that the lack of sincerity from the government in eradicating corruption and enforcing law could directly and badly affect the government and the nation itself.
"The religious clerics ideas of a movement against falsehood should be taken into account and regarded empirically instead of defensive act and normative statement, " she said.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono could also gain the real social facts from the religious clerics, as the first hands which are not interfered by political and economic interests, she said, adding that religious clerics are the parties the that understand well the social living of their people.
By conducting discussion between religious clerics and government officials, the religious clerics are also expected to understand the social context and bureaucracy and political systems in Indonesia instead of viewing from normative religious perspective as social matters are dynamic.
"President needs not to worry about any resistance from any political opposition parties as religious clerics, press, and the citizens would defend the ruling government if the government is assertive, brave and committed in conducting programs and development for national welfare," she said.
Previously, President had met some religious clerics in the State Palace to have dialogues on Monday (Jan 17) but the press was not allowed to cover the dialogue.
"Press is needed to give political education and awareness for people in order to encourage them to actively participate in controlling government," she said, adding that good governance and clean governance realization should be brought forward.(*)
KR-AES/HAJM/O001
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
