Various deviant practices in governance today have made the people of Mangliawan Village think hard about how these latent things can be overcome, at least in their village. One of the things they initiated was to enforce an “Oath of Service” for all village apparatus who wanted to carry out their duties.
The initiator of the idea of “Oath of Service”, Orin argues that this method is a good and natural way because it is part of the community culture.
“In the past, when the legal system was not very developed, traditional communities in villages used these methods as a form of accountability for what they did. The ‘Oath of Service’ is carried out before a person carries out his duties as a form of vow or promise to the community that he will work well, correctly, and honestly. These are things we want to revive so that village apparatus or leaders at any level are always reminded to always do good practices in carrying out their duties,” said Orin.
A cultural researcher of FCS UB, Dr. Hipolitus Kristoforus Kewuel, M.Hum., sees this phenomenon as something that needs to be supported.
“We often forget that culture is also a force that is present and living continuously in our society. We often forget to use culture as a tool that can help us live together. So, the efforts of the people of Mangliawan Village need to be appreciated so that this good practice can be further developed in many places,” said Dr. Hipo.
Orin added that the power of culture needs to be utilized to support development. The slogan or phrase, “Culture-Based Development” which is being heavily echoed by the government and many other parties nowadays, is not a nonsense slogan.
“Concretely, in this Mangliawan Village, there is an interesting cultural dynamic. The candidates for the Head of the Mangliawan Village have taken an oath of service since the nomination period. Thus, the public wants to see the good intentions of the prospective leader from the start. With the ‘Oath of Service’, the candidates for the Village Head are asked to promise not only in front of the living community but also before God and the spirits of the ancestors in this area. That way, they are reminded to always be careful in carrying out their duties. There are many parties, both visible and invisible, who will be angry if there are deviations,” he said.
Finally, with this research entitled Culture-Based Development, Dr. Hipo wants to show that the success of development does not solely rely on the power of money and other material things.
“Effective development also needs to be supported from other aspects such as culture which does not give visible effects, but it penetrates humans to lead them from within as well as to guide them to set their views on the interests of many people,” he concluded. [dts]
