Muhammadiyah hopes that leaders are not allergic to criticism

President Prabowo Subianto greets residents in the Sudirman-Thamrin area (MI/Usman Iskandar)

Muhammadiyah Central Executive Chairman Anwar Abbas hopes that future leaders will not be allergic to criticism in order to find solutions to the country’s problems and for the benefit of society.

“We hope that all leaders in this country in the future will not be allergic to criticism, as long as all parties have a sincere desire to resolve these conflicts through the consensuses that we have built,” said Anwar Abbas in Jakarta, today.

Anwar Abbas’s statement was in response to various responses regarding Prabowo Subianto’s first speech as the 8th President of the Republic of Indonesia at the inauguration in Senayan, Jakarta.

In his speech, Prabowo emphasized a number of things, such as the issue of food and energy independence, the issue of water, nutrition for children and subsidies, the issue of unity and integrity and the issue of corruption.

Apart from that, Prabowo also touched on the attitude of leaders who must truly work for the people and Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy which is anti-colonialism and oppression.

Anwar Abbas views that the speech has received mixed responses, with some welcoming it with optimism, but also others showing a pessimistic attitude.

“Both the government and society are able to utilize the existing dialectic in the form of thesis and antithesis to find a good synthesis for this nation and state,” he said.

According to Anwar Abbas, if differences of views are used as something constructive and criticism is placed as a reminder, then Indonesia will become a big and developed country.

“It will also become a strong and beautiful country because the sense of unity and oneness among its citizens will be well established,” he said. (P-2)