It's Charlie

I. Chief of Justice - dishonourably discharged
As reported by the local and international mass media, Akil Mochtar the Indonesian Constitutional Court Chief of Justice was detained 2nd October 2013 by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) – an Indonesian independent ethics council. Mochtar who has just been selected by the House of Representatives last August 2013 was seized for allegedly accepting a bribe of about $260,000 aimed at influencing the subpoena being processed by the court over a polemicized result in a local election in Kalimantan province. In this wrongdoing, he was too purportedly committing money laundering.

Akil Mochtar – served as Chief of Justice of the Indonesian Constitutional Court. (Photo by Dany Permana / Tribunnews.com, 2013)

More surprisingly in the arrest, it was also reported that KPK’s team had found some drugs – ecstasy pills and marijuana in Mochtar’s office at the Constitutional Court. Immediately thereafter, he also showed inappropriate attitude towards one journalist who asked whether he remembered what he had said about corruptors’ fingers being cut off as a deterrent and how he felt about that now that he was a graft suspect. In that incident, he lost his temperament and slapped the inquiring journalist on the cheek. Ironically, this allegation of Mochtar coincided with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's campaign to fight the alleged misuse of public “money” and other forms of corruption.


II. States’ symbol tarnished
Aspect of statesmanship of the Constitutional Court judge which supposed to be placed in a very high and respectable position in the system was demolished just because a person's desire to enrich himself by abusing possessed power. Mochtar’s arrest has undeniably tarnished the dignity of the state symbol and merely weakened the credibility of the government of Indonesia. The Indonesian public’s confidence in the rule of law has even more collapsed, crushed, and shapeless. Nevertheless, the bold action taken by the KPK should be appreciated and needs to progressively roll over as the trenchant watchdog of the unprincipled government officials.

III. The consequences of unethical behaviour
As the consequence of his unethical behaviour, Mochtar has lost his integrity, which is the most valuable and important quality anyone can have in his life (Walton, 2006). The tainted money and his power just last for a temporary yet he has diminished himself from the network of people who trust him as a respectable person. Fundamentally, this disappointing scandal is also a disgrace to his family. It indeed brings deep psychologically pressure of his wife and children whereas they will experience deep sorrow, anger, embarrassed of performing their daily activities in their society.

IV. Integrity of the leaders 
Indonesia oftentimes included among the world's most-corrupt nations for many years. Last year, Transparency International ranked Indonesia 118th among 176 countries and territories on its Corruption Perception Index 2012.



Summing up and reflecting from Mochtar’s case, Indonesia desperately needs high integrity leaders who shall walk the talk, consistent between the words and actions, own high moral standard, be sincere and fully in control of their own behaviours (Low, 2013; Peterson and Seligman, 2004). Some scholars endorsed that with the upright character true leaders can incise significant change and inspire their surroundings with more fascinating visions. (Miller, 2011, p.183; Palanski & Yammarino, 2007; Brown and Trevin, 2006).

Karman is a bicycle taxi driver (English: tukang ojek sepeda) at the Port of Sunda Kelapa. He should wake up very early every morning to prepare his bike standby at the gate of the harbor to transport his service to the tourists visitors. Sunda Kelapa harbor is one of the forerunner to the establishment of Jakarta city.

Kalijodo - (English: river of destiny) is the Indonesia’s oldest red-light district, dating back to the early 18th century. Turnover business of prostitution and especially gambling in Kalijodo reaches over 2 billion Rupiahs per day*. Kalijodo may represent lower-class prostitution, but in fact, Jakarta is saturated with this kind of business. There are still lots of places, even in five-star hotels where people can accidentally stumbles across it.

Passing through the street Latuharhari until Taman Lawang, we will encounter a slightly different world. Incorporated in TL's (short for Taman Lawang) trans-gender community, Aline is very happy with her status as a shemale.

Bujang (not a real name), an HIV-positive former drug user. He struggles not only to cope with the fee of his treatment, but also with the social stigma and prejudice towards him. All of his family forced him to leave home and isolate himself. That is to hide a shameful thing of his family. Besides Bujang, there are still many people living with HIV positive who is experiencing the similar thing.

The existence of Becak (English: Rickshaw) remains continue to be hunted even though nearly extinct. This is related to local government regulations on public order. Being creative, Dhony modify his Becak to become a BeMot - short for "Becak Motor" (English: Motorized Rickshaw) . By doing so, it will be easier for him to escape from KAMTIB - short for "Keamanan & Ketertiban" (English: Security & Order).

Many couples in the city like Jakarta are bound by the reality that they will have to face some challenges if their lovers come from different religions. The law on marriage only legalizes married couples from the same faith. Then, is it true that love knows no boundaries?

Everyday, Mamang has to walk about 10 km daily to deliver bottles of tomato and chili sauce to the chicken noodles (Indonesian: mie ayam) gerobak sellers in Pasar Ikan. His net profit per day will be used to finance his 2 children. The oldest one is in 1st grade junior high school, while the second child sits in 2nd grade elementary school. Luckily, Mamang only has 2 children! *Gerobak is a traditional transportation, used for selling food in Indonesia.

At the beginning of project Trans Jakarta, a number of workers was challenged to cut down a tree in the area Duta Merlin. In just a few weeks some people die for no apparent reason. A moment the next day, the project leaders gave "sesajenan" (English: the tiny offerings usually contain flowers) and paid homage to the tree that is rumored haunted.

The poor is a cliché challenge that we often hear everywhere in big cities. There are 2 types of beggars in Jakarta. The first is seasonal beggars and the second is a common beggar. Seasonal beggars usually appear when approaching the celebration of religious holidays or towards the end of the year. There are a lot of homework that the Gov't need to do to solve the problem of the poverty.

For most people in Jakarta, the need for clean water supply is an obligation. Sometimes people in residential areas will get difficulty getting water, for example when the electricity off. At such times, the presence of "Abang Air Gerobakan" (English: Water Cart Driver) will desperately awaited.

There are many nicknames for this horse-drawn transportation: Sado / Dokar/ Delman / or even Andong. The name itself was actually derived from the inventor, Charles Theodore Deeleman. However, Andong's existence is nearly extinct. Of course this may be understandable as an adjustment to urban life. However, the pleasure of riding an Andong will not be replaceable, even with the coolest car ride though.

Romi - 11 years old works near Jembatan Batu area as a used-bottles scavenger. Life without a father has made him only sits until 5th grade of elementary school, before he finally decided to help his mother to earn money. He frankly admitted smoking cigarettes and glue sniffing activities are part of the enjoyment in his leisure time.

The influx of goods from China is unstoppable. Someday in an impromptu bazaar, you may probably find out that the price of a bra may be now much cheaper than the price of a cup of Starbucks.

Lots of teenagers in Jakarta are very enthusiastic in welcoming some special moments. This euphoria usually appears in the new Year's Eve, the Takbiran Night (Indonesian: the night when the fasting is end) or even at a time of their beloved football club has a competition.

Experiencing a flat tire is an unexpected risk of having a car or a motorbike. When we do, finding a tire patcher (Indonesian: tukang tambal ban) is an unspeakable joy. Solihin - a tire patcher in Kemayoran area uses his expertise to earn income approximately Rp 20,000 (NZD $2) daily.

"Mudik" or "Pulang Kampung" (English: back to own hometown) is an extraordinary happiness for everyone. It's has also been part of a culture in welcoming Eid Ul-Fitr. Every year, progressively around 8 million travelers return from Jakarta to their hometown using various modes of transportation, one of which is by train.

Slamet started running his barbershop since the year 1990. Prior to work as a barber, he was a stone mason. He was very lucky that one day unexpectedly he met with his friend from the same village who in turn taught him how to cut and shave hair.Now almost everyday he is overwhelmed receiving lots of teenage customers who want to have hair-style like their favorite's public figures. One of the icon of Jakarta is Bundaran HI (English: Hotel Indonesia Roundabout). The initial design of the Bundaran HI was sketched by an Ambonese, Henk Ngantung - at the time was the deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta. Seeing the sketch was very charming, President Soekarno then asked Edi Sunarso to realize it to be a statue. Overall processing time took about a year before it was inaugurated in 1962. Now, in this democratic era, Bundaran HI is widely used for the protesters to voice their aspiration.

Di latar belakang panggung yang remang itu tampak menjulang tinggi lampu hotel-hotel megah di kota Seoul.Lalu tiba-tiba si Kusta berteriak geram, "Apa ini? Ah, patung Kristus! Lihat, patung Kristus bermahkota emas! Apa gunanya patung ini untuk kita?" Dengan sinis ia hendak membuang kembali patung yang baru ditemukannya di antara tumpukan sampah itu.


Si Kusta, si Wanita Penghibur, dan si Pemulung terheran-heran. Mereka tidak percaya pada telinga dan mata mereka sendiri. Mereka disapa Kristus. Mereka diminta tolong oleh Kristus. Mimpi ataukah betul-betul terjadi?

Belum lagi ketiga orang itu sempat mencabut mahkota emas dari kepala Kristus, tiba-tiba datanglah beberapa orang dengan sikap berang dari kanan dan kiri panggung. Mereka berteriak, "Ini dia pencurinya. Sekarang baiklah kita pahami konteks sandiwara ini.

Adegan babak akhir ini dipentaskan di kampus Sekolah Teologi Presbiterian di Seoul. Hampir tiap bulan ada pementasan kelompok teater kampus. Ragamnya bervariasi, dari absurd, satire, realis atau drama lainnya. Jenisnya klasik, semi-klasik, atau kontemporer. Malam itu gedung kapek yang memuat 800 kursi penuh sesak. Maklumlah, drama yang dipentaskan adalah gubahan dari buku karangan Kim Chi Ha berjudul The Gold-Crowned Jesus and Other Writings.

Kim Chi Ha bersama Kim Jong Bok adalah penulis terkemuka di Korea. Kedua teolog itu pernah dipenjara karena mengkritik pemerintah. Kedua teolog itu mengembangkan Teologi Minjung. Minjung berarti rakyat jelata atau orang banyak atau orang biasa. Dalam hal ini, kaum awam atau warga gereja biasa. Umat Kristen di Korea berjumlah hampir 30% dari penduduk dan banyak warga gereja adalah buruh pabrik. Dalam kuliahnya, Kim Chi Ha berkata," The minjung of the church are the oppressed, while the oppressers are the administration, the transnational firms and the clergy." Artinya, "kaum awam adalah pihak tertindas, dan penindasnya adalah pemerintah, perusahaan raksasa, dan pendeta." Apakah maksud dia dengan ucapannya yang tajam itu?


Si Kusta mewakili anggota-anggota gereja yang kehadirannya dirasa mengotorkan. Mereka adalah para penyandang cacat tubuh, cacat mental, penyandang AIDS, para gay dan lesbian, atau yang lainnya.

Si Wanita Penghibur mewakili anggota-anggota gereja yang dianggap bukan orang baik-baik. Mereka dicap bermasalah. Mereka pernah bercerai atau keluarganya kurang beres. Mereka dianggap bermoral rendah. Mereka dinilai tidak berhak mendapatkan pemberkatan nikah di gereja dan tidak layak duduk pada meja Perjamuan Kudus.

Si Pemulung mewakili anggota-anggota gereja yang berpenghasilan sedikit. Mereka pegawai rendah, buruh, atau pedagang kecil. Mereka tidak bisa memberi sumbangan ke gereja, malah sebaliknya mereka yang harus disumbang oleh gereja.

Si Kusta, si Wanita Penghibur dan si Pemulung adalah minjung atau umat awam. Mereka dipandang sebelah mata. Mereka terpinggirkan. Mereka minoritas. Memang mereka mendapat tempat duduk di gereja, namun mereka dianggap kurang penting. Mereka bukan fokus kepedulian gereja sebab gereja lebih peduli pada liturgi yang agung, ajaran yang alkitabiah, peraturan yang baku, upacara penahbisan pendeta yang meriah, atau KKR yang bermukjizat.

Padahal Yesus justru peduli pada si Kusta, si Wanita Penghibur, dan si Pemulung. Yesus sendiri lahir dalam keluarga minjung, dan sepanjang hidup-Nya Ia menyamakan diri dengan para minjung. Ia bukan peduli pada para pemuka agama yang disebut "orang benar", melainkan pada rakyat jelata yang disebut "orang berdosa". SabdaNya,"Aku datang bukan untuk memanggil orang benar, melainkan orang berdosa" (Matius 9:13). Lalu Yesus "menerima orang-orang berdosa dan makan bersama-sama dengan mereka" (Lukas 15:2)


Dalam adegan sandiwara ini Kristus merasa bisa berfungsi sebagai Juruselamat bukan jika hidup dalam kemegahan gereja, melainkan jika hidup dalam kesahajaan kaum awam. Akan tetapi, Kristus cuma dijadikan pemanis mulut khotbah, aksesori jubah pendeta, ornamen gedung gereja, dan hiasan seremonia liturgi.

Oleh sebab itu, Kristus minta tolong untuk dibebaskan. Simak soteriologi yang jungkir balik. Kristus Sang Pembebas ternyata minta dibebaskan. Minta kepada siapa? Kepada si Kusta, si Wanita Penghibur dan si Pemulung, yaitu orang-orang yang dicap "pemungut cukai, peminum, pezinah, penjudi, dan orang-orang berdosa". Minta dibebaskan dari belenggu apa? Dari belenggu yang dipasang oleh pendeta.

Akan tetapi, belum lagi si Kusta, si Wanita Penghibur dan si Pemulung membebaskan Kristus, tiba-tiba datanglah tiga orang berbaju perlente, yaitu si Politikus, si Pengusaha dan si Pendeta.

Si Politikus langsung berhasil menyita patung Kristus itu. Ia segera bersorak kegirangan,"Haleluya,sekarang Kristus menjadi milik kami. Kamilah yang paling berhak menguasai Kristus sebab kami adalah politisi, pemerintah, dan aparat negara yang berkuasa."

Akan tetapi, secepat kilat si Pengusaha merebut salib itu dan berteriak, "Puji Tuhan, sekarang Kristus menjadi milik kami. Kamilah yang paling memerlukan Kristus supaya kami sukses menipu dan memenangkan tender. Persepuluhan dari hasil kelicikan kami pasti dipersembahkan kepada Tuhan!"

Pada saat itu dari belakang menyelinaplah si Pendeta dan merenggut salib Kristus bermahkota emas itu. Ia langsung sujud di tanah dan berdoa, "Sungguh ajaib mukjizat-Mu Allah, akhirnya Kristus kembali jadi inventaris gereja!"

Lalu si Pendeta, si Pengusaha dan si Politikus raib dari panggung. Langsung lampu panggung redup. Si Kusta, si Wanita Penghibur, dan si Pemulung terhempas lunglai lemas. Sedu-sedan isak tangis mereka.

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Tulisan di atas adalah tulisan Bapak Andar Ismail dengan judul "Kristus Disandera Pendeta" (hal. 125-129) seri Selamat Sehati - 33 Renungan tentang Sehati Sepikir (2013), terbitan BPK Gunung Mulia.

Image sources:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JknMRvIYL._SY300_.jpg
http://lilinkecil.com/popup_image.php?pID=2851&osCsid=bdaaa056e921734358e0f88a5e7c35e2
http://jesusistheword.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/crown-of-thorns-and-gold-crop.jpg

Pada akhirnya, menjelang akhir tujuan hidup ini, masing-masing kita akan dihadapkan dengan pertanyaan-pertanyaan inti makna kehidupan.
“Apakah yang telah saya lakukan selama bergulirnya WAKTU dalam hidup ini?”
“Sumbangsih apa yang telah kita berikan – kepada diri, kepada keluarga, kepada lingkungan saya?”

Semoga, kita semua yang telah sungguh sungguh memaknai begitu pentingnya arti WAKTU dapat menjawab pertanyaan di atas dengan lantang. (CHL)

Sources:

Karakter yang kuat tercermin dalam satunya kata dan tindakan "word and action" serta pikiran dan perbuatan "thought and deed"

Alkisah ada kapal perang yang sedang menjelajahi samudra di tengah cuaca yang buruk. Menjelang malam, tampak sinar terang pada haluan sebelah kanan. Sang Kapten kapal pun bertanya kepada awak pengintai, "Apakah sinarnya dalam posisi tetap atau bergerak mundur?"

Si anak buah menjawab, "Tetap, Kapten!"

Ini berarti kapal tersebut berada dalam posisi hendak bertabrakan dengan sumber cahaya tadi. Lalu Kapten berseru kepada pemberi isyarat, "Beri tanda kepada kapal itu bahwa kita berada pada arah tabrakan. Anjurkan mereka membelokkan arah 20 derajat!"

Seketika itu juga datang isyarat balasan, "Anda yang dianjurkan mengubah arah 20 derajat."

Kapten berkata lagi, "Kirim pesan bahwa ini adalah perintah Kapten. Ubah arah Anda 20 derajat!"

Jawaban yang datang, "Saya kelasi kelas dua. Sekali lagi, Anda yang sebaiknya berganti arah 20 derajat!"

Mendengar itu, Sang Kapten tersinggung dan marah. Ia membentak keras, "Kirimkan pesan, ini kapal perang! Ubah arah Anda 20 derajat sekarang juga, atau Anda akan hancur berantakan!"

Datang balasang singkat. "Ini mercusuar!"

Seketika itu juga, kapal perang mengubah arah.

Bagaimanapun, sikap jumawa sang kapten tak bisa mengalahkan karakter kokoh mercusuar.


*disadur ulang dari salah satu koleksi buku favorit saya "Pembelajaran T. P. Rachmat" oleh Ekuslie Goestiandi, Yusi Pareanom
http://www.gramediapustakautama.com/buku-detail/86206/Pembelajaran-T-P-Rachmat