Jakarta, NU Online
General Chairman of The Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) KH Said Aqil Siroj (Kang Said) said here recently that "the offenders are common enemies for all the people of Indonesia.<>

He said that as a religious social organization, NU called all believers who truly believe in Allah to abide by laws of Allah and His Messenger (PBUH) for all this is its basic attitude.

"Because NU bases its principles on the Prophet's statement, "Wa la 'udwana illa' alaz zhalimin (There is no hostility except to those who practice oppression)," added Kang Said.

Those who practice oppression are common enemies. Because they have oppressed themselves or others. Said Kang mentioned the offenders were, among others, terrorists, drug dealers, murderers, corruptors, rogue importers, and those who abuse their power.

Kang Said urged the government to crack down on offenders and violators of laws in the country. The crackdown on the common enemies is a must for it has long been expected by the people.

Indonesia today faces an enormous problem related to such practices. Almost every day we read in the newspapers about corruption cases implicating state officials.

As the 2014 general election draws near, graft watchdog Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) has warned about the possible flourishing of political corruption in 2013.

ICW researcher Apung Widadi said yesterday that due to poor political party finance regulations and weak implementation, almost all parties would seek campaign funds from illicit sources, including by tapping governmental budget allocations.

"If we observe this year's [2012] trends, most corruption cases were rooted in government budget allocations as well as the disbursement of social assistance funds [Bansos]," he told a press conference.

He said 52 political parties' members were implicated in graft cases this year. Their positions range from active minister to lawmaker, councillor and regent.

Editor: Sudarto Murtaufiq
Writer: Alhafiz Kurniawan