Letter: Beware of candidates’ promises

Jakarta is a window into Indonesia. The complexity of everything exists in this metropolis. Many people say that all these things are representative of what happens across the country. Almost all things related to the Indonesian government are also a part of Jakarta.

Therefore, the upcoming Jakarta gubernatorial election on July 11 is important not only for Jakartans, but also for all Indonesians.

This event will decide who the next governor and deputy governor of Jakarta are.

The two people chosen will lead Jakarta for five years. We might agree with John Maxwell who said, “Leadership is influence. No more, no less.”

Don’t you agree that to influence many people in Jakarta is to wield great power?

Now, the process of the election is in the pre-campaign period until June 24. It means that actually all candidates are not allowed to do campaign. However, the facts are far from an ideal condition.

Regarding the next phase of the campaign (June 24–July 7), the thing that we should pay more attention to are the promises from the candidates.

All the promises of candidates of governor and deputy governor are goods. Therefore, all voters should consider not only the things that are promised by the candidates, but also they have to think about the candidates’ track records, and what achievement or behavior the candidates have shown — before they proposed to become candidates.

The highest achievers and those that are relatively free of misbehavior are the most appropriate people to be chosen. Why? Because what is needed by Jakarta citizens is real work, not untrustworthy promises.

It is hard since we cannot file a lawsuit on candidates’ promises. On other hand, we should realize that moral values have an important role in this modern era. Even though they are not in field of law, moral values can be included as the main requirement of good leaders.

If our leaders are people with high moral awareness, we can reach a better future easier. In conclusion, I will make two points here.

The first, if you are voting in this election, choose on the basis of candidate track records and high-moral awareness.

Meanwhile, candidates should think about where they will bring Jakarta if they forget all their promises easily. I hope the 2012 election will become a special event that will create some of Jakarta’s best leaders.

Nur Afilin
Jakarta