Corruption: An obstacle to regional security<\/p>\n
Bantarto Bandoro, Editor, 'The Indonesian Quarterly',
\nCentre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The statement by Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew that
\nterrorist leaders are still at large in Indonesia was a big blow
\nto us. Now, another big blow has hit the country. The Hong Kong-
\nbased Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) recently
\nreported that Indonesia remains Asia's most corrupt country. PERC
\nranked the country the most corrupt among 12 national economies.
\nOn a scale of one to 10, Indonesia scored highest with a grade of
\n9.92.<\/p>\n
The survey result seems to suggest the following: (a)
\nIndonesia is still not serious in combating corruption and
\npunishing corruptors; (b) the entire national legal system is in
\nshambles; (c) state institutions are still weak, unaccountable
\nand suffer from a lack of transparency; (d) there is an absence
\nof integrity in public administration; (e) Indonesia has failed
\nin poverty reduction strategies; and (f) there is a rampant lack
\nof awareness on the part of officials of the negative impact of
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has long been the target of international criticism
\nfor its corruption. The historic relationship between power and
\nwealth explains why corruption has been more pervasive in
\nIndonesia than in many other countries.<\/p>\n
The financial crisis that severely hit us in 1997 is believed
\nto have been caused by mismanagement of the national economy. The
\ncrisis also has been attributed to widespread corruption in the
\nforms of nepotism and cronyism and a government for hire. A clear
\nexample is the bribery of officials to influence government
\npolicy, judicial decisions and to obtain favored treatment by
\ngovernment agencies.<\/p>\n
The change in national leadership in 1998 from Soeharto to
\nB.J. Habibie was perhaps the apex of the people's fight against a
\ncorrupt government and their demand for good governance. At that
\ntime, corrupt leaders were replaced. People expected the change
\nwould result in a more transparent and accountable government.
\nThis did not happen.<\/p>\n
A year or so following the regime change, charges of
\ncorruption began to emerge against the new leadership. Now, under
\nthe presidency of Megawati Soekarnoputri, Indonesia still cannot
\nescape international criticism because of its too high tolerance
\nof corruption.<\/p>\n
There was in fact an anticorruption plan initiated by 15
\ncountries of the Asia-Pacific region. Although non-binding, each
\nparticipating country was to identify reform priorities and
\nimplement them, introduce strict sanctions against bribery of
\npublic officials and money laundering and establish codes of
\nconduct and transparent public procurement systems.<\/p>\n
Countries like Japan, Singapore and Vietnam endorsed the plan.
\nBut Indonesia and China were reportedly unwilling to commit
\nthemselves to the action plan (The Japan Times, Nov. 27, 2001).
\nIndonesia seems to be disregarding the possible impact of
\ncorruption on regional stability, as well as the fact that
\ncorruption also facilitates transnational criminal activities.<\/p>\n
Corruption, which manifests itself as extortion, will
\nundermine the legitimacy of political and economic reforms, and
\nmay even threaten democracy itself. An even more insidious side
\nof the corruption is its corrosive effect on regional security.
\nBeing the region's largest country, Indonesia has always been the
\nfocus of the strategic calculations of other regional and extra-
\nregional powers.<\/p>\n
But a seemingly weak and corrupt Indonesia will certainly
\nresult in a destabilizing domestic situation. The country will be
\nhighly vulnerable to other crimes such as the trafficking of
\ndrugs and people. Moreover, because citizens are the ultimate
\nvictims of corruption, they will continue to put strong pressure
\non the government to fight corruption more effectively.<\/p>\n
The government's unresponsiveness will certainly lead to a
\nmore aggressive public, and this can disturb domestic security
\nwhich in turn can significantly affect regional stability.<\/p>\n
A corruption-free Indonesia is as important as its security
\nrole in Southeast Asia. But a driving force behind its fight
\nagainst corruption seems to be nonexistent. Corruption is indeed
\none of the major destabilizing elements in newly emerging
\ndemocracies such as Indonesia. Now we face the challenges of
\nreform simultaneously with the problems of organized crime and
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
Insecurity is growing here because the state is perceived to
\nbe unable to perform properly basic functions such as justice,
\npolicing or even defense, which may also contribute to regional
\ninstability.<\/p>\n
Thus, regional stability and welfare cannot be seen in
\nisolation of domestic security. If the situation here worsens due
\nto continued corruption and, because of this, weakened and eroded
\nstate institutions, Indonesia will be seen by organized criminals
\nin Southeast Asia as being a safe haven for illegal regional
\nnetworks for illegal activities.<\/p>\n
Southeast Asia will also witness that a weak Indonesia is
\nlikely to be new source of regional instability. This would lead
\nto an erosion in the regional confidence that Indonesia is
\nperforming a pivotal role in regional security. Southeast Asia
\nalso would witness a movement toward building regional anti-
\ncorruption agenda and plans.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will not be able to escape being the target of
\nregional cooperation in the fight against corruption; and we will
\nalso be accused of being a source of friction in regional
\nmultilateral relations, hence hindering regional efforts toward
\nconfidence-building measures.<\/p>\n
There have been regional and international meetings on
\ncorruption. But fighting corruption requires sustained activity
\nby governments inside their borders and, increasingly, in
\ncooperation with other governments.<\/p>\n
If Indonesia does not do anything, it will lose any
\ncompetitive advantage it has against other countries. Corruption
\nweakens Indonesia's ability to enhance international and regional
\ndiplomacy and compete in the world's marketplace.<\/p>\n
The rule of law and anticorruption initiatives should now be
\nthe key elements of our foreign policy, so that confidence in
\ngovernment institutions can be promoted.<\/p>",
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