Cheating God<\/p>\n
Indonesia is renowned as a nation with a long history rich in
\nculture. That culture apparently has evolved to embrace
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
The latest revelation that hundreds of billions of rupiah in
\nhaj pilgrimage funds have been misappropriated reflects just how
\nfar some of us have descended to become a nation of cheats.<\/p>\n
Even God is not safe from being exploited.<\/p>\n
An investigation by an interdepartmental anticorruption team
\nhas unveiled suspicions of a long-running scam at the Ministry of
\nReligious Affairs involving funds deposited for the annual haj
\npilgrimage. The ministry's director general for Islamic guidance
\nand haj management has been detained over the suspected offense.
\nAs many as three former ministers could also be implicated in the
\naffair.<\/p>\n
News of the scam first came to the fore when an audit by the
\nDevelopment Finance Controller (BPKP) found various
\nirregularities in the management of the funds.<\/p>\n
The case was then taken up as by the newly formed
\ninterdepartmental corruption eradication team as its introductory
\ncase.<\/p>\n
If these allegations are reconfirmed in court, it will
\nhighlight what has effectively been a public secret for many,
\nmany years.<\/p>\n
For a long time the public has observed from afar with a wary
\neye the management of the haj by ministry officials. Though few
\nwould dare assert it in public, allegations of suspected
\ncorruption have always been talked about in hushed tones.<\/p>\n
Each year trillions of rupiah from private funds are paid by
\nhaj pilgrims to the government which has a monopoly on organizing
\nand licensing the holy visit to Mecca.<\/p>\n
For the last few years Indonesia has sent an average of
\n200,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. The latest cost for the haj
\npilgrimage set by the government is around Rp 28 million
\n(US$2,900) per person. The accumulated amount over the years a
\nmindboggling figure.<\/p>\n
One can just imagine the pots of gold standing before ministry
\nofficials. Finally, the temptation was too hard to resist.<\/p>\n
It seems that in this country corruption knows no
\ndiscrimination. After reports of stealing from state projects,
\nthe poor and the sick, there is now no inhibition about stealing
\nfrom God.<\/p>\n
For the affluent urban elite, the pilgrimage almost seems like
\na holiday which they undertake every few years. But for most
\nIndonesian Muslims, the pilgrimage is a life culminating
\nexperience -- an apex in the long journey to attain personal
\nsignificance other than material accomplishment. It is on a par
\nwith marriage, the birth of a child or death of a loved one as a
\nlife altering experience.<\/p>\n
With prodigious faith in the divine, those with limited
\ndisposable income spend their life savings to fulfill God's
\nsummons. Others peddle their livestock or sell the patch of land
\nwhich has supported the family for decades. All in a desire to be
\ncloser to the Almighty.<\/p>\n
The saddest part of the latest scandal is that it is believed
\nto be perpetrated by people whose profession demanded a higher
\nmoral character.<\/p>\n
This is not a simple markup in the construction of a bridge,
\nor siphoning a little extra from a state sponsored business
\nproject.<\/p>\n
The pilgrims are the simplest of folk who surrender their
\nmaterial possessions not for profit, but for spiritual
\nredemption. That someone would have the gall to exploit the
\nholiest of rituals for Muslims shows they have little respect for
\ntheir fellow man, or God for that matter.<\/p>\n
Given the perceived "rot" concerning the haj affair which has
\nlikely gone on for years, the interdepartmental team's
\ninvestigation is likely to uncover more skeletons in the closet.<\/p>\n
We fully support the team's efforts and encourage them to
\npursue their investigation resiliently. The fact that they have
\nchosen to delve into corruption at the Ministry of Religious
\nAffairs is a strategic step.<\/p>\n
It touches on an issue which the public is sympathetic about
\ntoo -- since all Muslims dream of going on the pilgrimage at
\nleast once in their life. But it is also an "easy" ministry to
\nshake down given its relatively limited political clout. Despite
\nthe billions of rupiah, a shakedown of this ministry has few
\npolitical repercussions.<\/p>\n
This is the start the new team needs. Once emboldened with
\ngreater public trust and self confidence it is our expectation
\nthat, with God now on its side, the interdepartmental team will
\ncontinue to break down doors in other more sensitive government
\noffices.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cheating-god-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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