I received a text message on my cellular phone on Thursday last week, that former Judge Benjamin Mangkoedilaga had passed away. I was silent for a moment, remembering a man I had known for more than 30 years. He was a simple and honest man. He was not just a judge, but also a teacher, a social activist and a legal consultant.

At around 10 pm that night, I went to his modest but beautiful house in South Jakarta, a testament of his simple life an