I

have always been deeply impressed by the true account of the Javanese Queen Sima or Shima, who ruled the Kalingga Kingdom from 674 to 695 AD. During the reign of this sagacious and righteous queen, who was also known to be extremely stern, her subjects were very law-abiding and honest, such that no one dared to take even a mango that had fallen on the ground without the permission of its owner.

An Arab prince, who wanted to put this honesty to the test, ordered a sack full of gold and jewels to be put in one of Kalingga’s market streets. And for three whole years, the sack remained lying there, undisturbed. One day, however, the crown prince walked in that market and the sack was touched by his feet.

Upon hearing this, the furious Queen Sima ordered her son and heir to be tried in full view of Kalingga’s populace. After her ministers pleaded with her to save the life of her son, Sima said to her son: “Since your feet committed the crime, they will be amputated, as a lesson to all.” And so it was done.

Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607-1636) was also known for personally executing his son, Meurah Pupok, as the latter had engaged in adultery with the wife of a palace guard.

What these two rulers did, of course, would nowadays be regarded as very extreme measures of punishment.

Yet, we Indonesians desperately need genuine leaders who have the moral courage to obey the law, who regard every person as equal, who have honor and veracity, who are honest and who won’t cut corners.

It seems to me that in the months before the elections in 2014, the Creator is applying a very intricate divine test for each Indonesian individual who has high political ambitions, such as becoming president.

The test can happen at any moment and can catch the presidential hopefuls — showing the public clearly what his or her true character is. So far, Hatta Rajasa and Dahlan Iskan have been tested. Certainly, more will follow.

Tami Koestomo
Jakarta