MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA – Council for Cadre Development and Human Resources Chairperson Bachtiar Dwi Kurniawan has called on the public to exercise democratic freedoms with restraint, responsibility and respect for ethical boundaries, warning against expressions that demean or unfairly target others.
Bachtiar warned the community to express their right to democracy wisely, especially when it takes the form of judgmental or defamatory speech. Democracy, he noted, guarantees freedom of speech, opinion, and expression. However, he stressed that such freedoms must remain grounded in moral responsibility, public ethics, and social sensitivity.
“In a democratic context, freedom of expression must not cross the line into degrading, mocking or cornering others, especially without accurate data and reliable information,” Bachtiar said on Friday.
He further emphasized that caution is essential before turning sensitive issues into comedic or parody content, particularly when they involve specific individuals, groups, or institutions. Careful fact-checking, he added, allows comedy to function as a tool for education and constructive social critique rather than a platform for one sided ridicule.
According to Bachtiar, freedom of expression should contribute to the maturation of democracy. When it loses its educational substance, he warned, it risks becoming a form of expression that undermines dignity instead of offering meaningful criticism.
He also drew on religious values to reinforce his point, noting that faith traditions caution against mocking others.
“Religion teaches us not to ridicule other people,” he said. “Those we mock may, in fact, be better than ourselves.”
Muhammadiyah, he concluded, continues to advocate for a form of democracy that is civilized and ethical, one that upholds humanity, mutual respect and the common good in all expressions within the public sphere. (Bintang Adrian)
