Indonesia No. 1 corrupt country?<\/p>\n
An interesting article on corruption, as seen by foreign
\nmagazine Der Spiegel, appeared in the Merdeka daily on July 27,
\n1995. In my opinion it was a serious report. Whether we agree or
\ndisagree with what was reported and the statement that Indonesia
\nis the No. 1 corrupt country in the world, is another matter.<\/p>\n
In my opinion, we should pay serious attention to this report
\nand not react as Pak TB Silalahi did. He seemed not to realize
\nthe seriousness of corruption in Indonesia, by said, \"This is
\nnothing. It is only their opinion. This kind of news will not
\nharm Indonesia, because the foreign press is used to launching
\nsuch news stories.\" However, Sabam Sirait, adviser of the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party, gave different comments, which
\nbefitted a wise and experienced politician.<\/p>\n
On the same day, Media Indonesia published the result of
\nresearch conducted by the School of Social and Political Science
\n(FISIP) of the University of Indonesia, under Dr. Kastorius
\nSinaga. This report gave a rather dark picture of the problem of
\ncorruption in our country, which leads to a 30 to 45 percent loss
\nof the development funds. The evaporation of development funds is
\nthe result of the behavior of officials in the bureaucracy. And,
\nI think, this should be Pak Silalahi's homework.<\/p>\n
If we add to this a report on page one of The Jakarta Post,
\nJuly 28, 1995, RI's economy remains inefficient, then we really
\nmust pay serious attention. Not panic, or become afraid, but plan
\ncurative actions. According to the governor of the Central Bank,
\nSoedradjad Djiwandono, Indonesia's economy remains inefficient
\nbecause of the high Incremental Capital Output Ratio (ICOR).
\nThese reports, from two bona fide Indonesian institutions, FISIP
\nof UI and the Central Bank, cannot be ignored, just like that.<\/p>\n
To get a correct, non political picture of corruption in
\nIndonesia, the Attorney General's office should publish a report
\non corruption, with data and statistics, while refraining from
\ngiving comments. The Attorney General's office is the most
\nqualified institution to issue technical data of corruption,
\nbeside, perhaps, the State Audit Board, or the Department of
\nFinance. The other Departments might be inclined to issue reports
\nseen through political eyes.<\/p>\n
We can follow another way to get correct statistical data. We
\ncan sue Der Spiegel in court for insulting the Republic and force
\nDer Spiegel to disclose their sources. The Senior Minister, the
\nPrime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore have
\nsued the International Herald Tribune and won the case. The IHT
\nhas to pay.<\/p>\n
The same can be done in Indonesia. This can only happen when
\nwe feel strong enough and are sure that what was reported in Der
\nSpiegel was purely fantasy, then we can sue for libel.<\/p>\n
I think that the people in general have the right to know the
\nreal situation of corruption, because it is the people's money
\nthat is being corrupted.<\/p>\n
SOEGIH ARTO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-no-1-corrupt-country-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }