As a lawful country, stated in the constitutions, Indonesia holds supremacy of law above any other

power in charge. Law, these statements say, should not be able to be swayed, manipulated, or
negated by any reasons at all. Not even the president, should he commit a crime, can be exempt
from receiving the proper punishment. At least, that’s what it should look like ideally.

However, as a country deeply rooted in eastern culture that values respect and manners over
everything else, we are terrible at mixing law enforcement and culture together. There are many
conflicting agendas happening at the same time, from the low levels of the street to the high rise of
the rich and important. Social stigma and other forms of power often cloud the judgment of law and
create an imbalanced form of enforcement that is both unfair and unbreakable.

On one hand, we have the never-ending conflict of catching the elusive culprits of corruption. Over
the years we have erected many agencies and institutes that are devoted to track down and finish
these cases, but their success are always overshadowed by the big cases that slipped through their
fingers and the ridiculous amount of money it carries with it.

On the other hand, we decided to stop the eviction of some grandmas from the government-owned
houses they’ve been staying in for years. Law-wise, these poor old souls should still seek residence in
another place yet our so-called ‘morals and cultures’ took pity in them and decided to let them keep
the houses. It seemed like the right thing to do, but the implications done by this are seeds for lots
of bad things to happen.