TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
A political lesson of hope amid turbulence and storms
The primary purpose of the rule of law is to ensure that the rights of even the most vulnerable among us are protected from those who hold the highest authority or power.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Demonstrators burn objects amid clashes outside the House of Representatives complex in Jakarta on Aug. 22, 2024, during a protest against a move to reverse the Constitutional Court's decision altering eligibility rules for candidates in the regional head election later this year. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
W
hen my daughter was seven years old, she would make up rules during our game of tag. “You cannot run, dad. You cannot use your right hand. You can only chase me on the curb, but not on the road.”
She always tried to rig the rules so that she could win. For her, rigging the rules and winning are important.
A child often feels like all the rules that she or he has to follow every single day are frustrating. At school and at home, the constraint of rules is a hindrance to the joy they would get if they got what they wanted: an unlimited supply of chocolate bars, a free flow of sugary drinks or hattricks in games of tag.
As a parent, I have the responsibility to help my daughter understand that not all rules are there to take the joy out of everything. Some are there for her own good. After all, too many chocolate bars and sugary drinks will destroy her teeth and increase her risk of diabetes later in life.
And the game of tag? Well, I don’t always win. We often negotiate the rules to make the game fairer to make up for the differences in size and speed.
Through this I hope she learns that she doesn’t always need to win, losing is alright too. I hope she learns to appreciate the rules that come with the game, to enjoy the process that follows from playing it, as well as to negotiate the rules to be fairer for everyone.
I believe that these lessons are crucial for her to learn more about justice and fairness. I do wish for her to hold true that no power should go unchecked, and indeed to eventually learn that one of the primary purposes of the rule of law is to ensure that the rights of even the most vulnerable among us are protected from those who hold the highest authority or power.
