It is rare that the silent majority speaks. It most often happens at certain times and under very strict parameters.
Elections are one of those times. Other, not scripted examples usually represent a catharsis. An emotional outburst of pent-up frustration. A reflexive reaction to righting a wrong or fury over a blatant miscarriage of justice.
Such eruptions can be mild to turbulent. From the outcry against injustice against the KPK (Corruption Eradication Commission) in late 2009, to the fury of reformasi in 1998.
Last week, we saw the genesis of another “people outburst” when community figures bonded together through various initiatives to express their contempt at the farcical nature of anticorruption efforts in the country.
One of these initiatives was Geram Hukum (the Anti-Judicial Mafia Movement) which brought together academics, social activists and high-profile experts in an assertive call for action in this so-called war on graft.
The people’s frustrations with corruption can be quantified into three issues: First, the depth and widespread nature of systemic corruption where everyone seems involved.
Second, the endless inaction with which each case is met. No longer is prosecution of a corruption case a deterrent, the fact that nothing ever seems resolved or perpetrators get away with it — even in jail — only discourages those who would be honest. Graft convicts such as Gayus H. Tambunan and Artalyta “Ayin” Suryani have become celebrities. Their prison escapes, plush cells and unremorseful attitude teach the nation that crime doesn’t pay, but corruption does!
Now the country is awash with one case after another. Murky, convoluted and dim. Most destined to be swept under a rug of neglect many months later.
Third is the fear that these cases become commodities for political actors to trade and hold against each other. Each protagonist knows of the other’s skeleton in the closet.
What’s more disconcerting is that in the game of leverage, the most important tools in dismantling corruption — the KPK, the Judicial Mafia Taskforce, the Witness and Victim Protection Agency, the Corruption Court along with the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre — are slowly being rendered toothless.
It happened with institutions such as the KPK being repeatedly placed under pressure through those questioning its legality, extraordinary powers or judicial authority.
Most recently we have seen a continuation of that trend, employing the same script, for the same malicious self-serving political ends.
We fully endorse and lend our editorial support for this moral movement to strengthen the anticorruption drive. We also re-pledge our well-known track record of exposing corruption and the fight against elements that support a morally corrosive system.
The most important message made last week was to remind the silent majority against being apathetic or losing hope in this fight.
We urge everyone to extend their moral voice to the righteousness of this movement. As long as a handful of decent individuals and institutions remain steadfast in this effort, there is more than ample hope for a better future.
