Everyday dealings with corruption<\/p>\n
I have seen recently many references to corruption in the
\npress. The focus seems to be on \"institutional\" or high-level of
\ncorruption -- corruption in big business and\/or at high levels in
\nthe public administration, while the \"lower\" levels of
\ncorruption, which are more taxing to the ordinary citizen, and
\nwhich I see nearly every day, are overlooked.<\/p>\n
My wife is Indonesian, so I spend a lot of my time in
\nIndonesia, and as I travel to and from Indonesia I often feel
\nthat I am the favorite target of corrupt immigration officials.<\/p>\n
I have been asked for \"gifts\" of cash (U.S. dollars preferred)
\nby immigration officials at Kupang, Bali, Palembang, Jakarta and
\nMedan. From what I hear from other frequent travelers, and
\nexperience myself, in Bali, Kupang and Jakarta this now seems to
\nbe routine (but I must say I've no such trouble in Batam or
\nTanjung Pinang; the officials there seem to be content to
\npolitely and efficiently do the jobs they are paid to do, without
\nfeeling the need to corruptly solicit \"extras\" from the
\ntraveling public).<\/p>\n
In Medan I was once asked to pay a \"fine\" for \"overstaying\" my
\n60-day visitor's permit. I was leaving on day 60. Following
\nthis, when I arrived in Malaysia, I found that RM100, saved in
\nthe back of my passport folder for taxi fares, had disappeared.<\/p>\n
In Kupang this year a customs official, in full view of his
\ncolleagues and half a plane-load of arriving visitors, stole from
\nmy luggage some candy I had brought from Australia as a gift to
\nmy wife. The police officer I immediately reported this to at the
\nairport, while the stolen candy was still in full view, told me I
\nwould be better off forgetting about it. After all, wasn't I
\nlikely to use Kupang as an entry and exit port in the future, and
\nwasn't it better to avoid future problems, like full baggage
\nsearches and possible \"loss\" of my passport (presumably by
\nofficials)? This was offered as a threat, not advice.<\/p>\n
In Bali I was once directed out of a traffic jam by police
\nnear Candi Dasar and requested to pay a \"speeding fine\" of Rp
\n60,000 or face confiscation of my driving license. I had not been
\n\"speeding\" -- there was no way I could have been in the
\nprevailing traffic conditions.<\/p>\n
As I left Palembang about three years ago an official insisted
\nI was required to pay an \"arrival tax\" of $31, notwithstanding
\nthat I was leaving, and that the tax was still about one month
\nfrom being introduced. His pathetic argument was that the tax was
\ndue as I had earlier \"arrived\" at the airport to catch my flight.<\/p>\n
Most times I need to do business with the bureaucracy, even if
\nfees for the various services provided are on public display, I
\nam asked to pay additional \"administration fees\". And so it goes
\non, but this sort of thing pales into insignificance in the
\nface of what I call pajak kulit putih (white people tax), which
\nis the increase over the harga biasa (ordinary price) I am asked
\nto pay most times I make a purchase simply, it seems, because of
\nmy skin color, and whether or not items are price-tagged.<\/p>\n
My wife also suffers this type of corruption whenever she
\nmakes a purchase in my company, or is away from home and is
\nnoticed to be different from the local people.<\/p>\n
The current popular cry in Indonesia is to stop corruption.
\nMost people would say it would be good for everyone, but sadly it
\nseems to me that most of those people would be corrupt themselves
\n-- either by soliciting \"special fees\" or gifts -- or by
\nproviding them. Let's see if the cry can translate to action.<\/p>\n
ROBERT W. McGUIGAN<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/everyday-dealings-with-corruption-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }