SEMARANG \u2013 Ethics is a fundamental pillar in maintaining the quality of democracy, the integrity of public officials, and public trust. This message was highlighted during a public lecture entitled \u201cThe Ethics of Power in Democracy: Upholding Integrity and Public Trust,\u201d organized by the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) of Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) on Friday, October 30, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB), at the third-floor auditorium of Building C1, FISIP UNNES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lecture featured Prof. Dr. I Dewa Gede Palguna, S.H., M.Hum., Chair of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia\u2019s Honorary Council, as the keynote speaker. The event was officially opened by the Dean of FISIP UNNES, Prof. Dr. Arif Purnomo, S.Pd., S.S., M.Pd., and moderated by Dr. Wahyu Beny Mukti Setiyawan, S.H., M.H., a lecturer in the Political Science Study Program at FISIP UNNES. The academic forum provided an opportunity for participants to explore and reflect on the importance of ethics in the exercise of power and the practice of democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his presentation, Palguna emphasized that democracy cannot function properly without an ethical foundation. According to him, democracy provides everyone with the opportunity to attain power, but it does not grant those in power the freedom to act arbitrarily. Ethics is necessary to establish boundaries and ensure that authority obtained through democratic mechanisms is not abused or used to justify actions that undermine the public interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drawing on Max Weber\u2019s ideas in Politics as a Vocation, Palguna explained two categories of ethics that must be understood in political life: ethics of conviction and ethics of responsibility. The ethics of conviction is based on the belief that an action is right, whereas the ethics of responsibility requires individuals to consider and accept full accountability for the consequences of their actions. In the exercise of power, both forms of ethics are necessary; however, the ethics of responsibility must take precedence in decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also outlined three essential qualities that politicians should possess: passion, responsibility, and a sense of proportion. Passion refers to a genuine commitment to public issues rather than merely an ambition to hold office. Responsibility means recognizing that every decision carries consequences, costs, and risks. Meanwhile, a sense of proportion refers to the ability to view reality objectively, maintain perspective, and avoid being carried away by emotions. These three qualities are essential to ensuring that politics does not become an expression of arrogance or merely an attempt to retain power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, Palguna explained three functions of ethics in a democracy. First, ethics establishes boundaries between the right to exercise power and the claim that every action taken by those in power is necessarily right. Second, ethics prevents democratic decline caused by officials who, despite being elected through democratic procedures, gradually undermine democratic principles through their actions. Third, ethics distinguishes leaders or statespersons from those in power who are primarily concerned with personal interests and maintaining their positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To illustrate this distinction, Palguna referred to Weber\u2019s concepts of politicians who lebt von der Politik (live off politics) and those who lebt f\u00fcr die Politik (live for politics). Those who live off politics tend to use their positions for personal gain or to preserve their own power. By contrast, statespersons place the interests of the nation and their public responsibilities above their personal interests, including being willing to step down when their actions violate ethical principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To further illustrate the importance of integrity, Palguna presented the example of former United States President Jimmy Carter, who used a blind trust to manage his family\u2019s business interests while serving as president. This arrangement was intended to sever his access to personal business interests and prevent conflicts of interest. The example demonstrates that maintaining the integrity of public office may sometimes require personal sacrifices to preserve public trust in government institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Palguna went on to explain the relationship between ethics, integrity, and public trust. Integrity, he stated, is reflected in consistency between words and actions, demonstrating an individual’s moral character. Ethics is the first link in the chain of integrity, which subsequently generates public trust, legitimacy, and the authority of the state. Public trust, moreover, cannot be secured through promises alone. It must be maintained every day through consistent actions and a willingness to be accountable for decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He emphasized that a public official\u2019s resignation out of a sense of ethical responsibility is not a form of defeat but rather a moral victory. The willingness to relinquish office when the honor and dignity of an institution are at stake can, in fact, help restore public trust. As conveyed in the closing message of the lecture, an honorable politician does not cling to office at all costs but understands when the responsibility they carry has become heavier than the position itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The public lecture aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Discussions on the ethics of power, the integrity of public officials, accountability, and public trust are closely related to efforts to build transparent and accountable institutions that uphold democratic principles and justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event also supports SDG 4: Quality Education by providing a learning platform that broadens students\u2019 and the academic community\u2019s understanding of political ethics, democracy, and civic responsibility. Through direct engagement with a prominent constitutional law scholar and practitioner, participants gained broader perspectives on understanding issues of power not only from procedural and legal standpoints but also from the dimensions of morality and public accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through this public lecture, FISIP UNNES reaffirmed the role of higher education institutions as spaces for developing knowledge while fostering critical and ethical awareness among citizens. An understanding of the ethics of power is expected to encourage the development of a generation that not only understands democracy conceptually but also demonstrates a strong commitment to integrity, justice, and the sustainability of democratic life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SEMARANG \u2013 Ethics is a fundamental pillar in maintaining the quality of democracy, the integrity of public officials, and public trust. This message was highlighted during a public lecture entitled \u201cThe Ethics of Power in Democracy: Upholding Integrity and Public Trust,\u201d organized by the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) of Universitas Negeri Semarang […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[258,253],"class_list":["post-21461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-unnessdgs04-en","tag-unnessdgs16"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unnes.ac.id\/fisip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unnes.ac.id\/fisip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unnes.ac.id\/fisip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unnes.ac.id\/fisip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unnes.ac.id\/fisip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21461"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unnes.ac.id\/fisip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21463,"href":"https:\/\/unnes.ac.id\/fisip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21461\/revisions\/21463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unnes.ac.id\/fisip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unnes.ac.id\/fisip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unnes.ac.id\/fisip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}