'Is Sutiyoso serious about fighting graft?'<\/p>\n
While the Jakarta administration's ongoing campaign aims to
\npromote the capital as the "service city", a survey conducted by
\nTransparency International Indonesia (TII) has ranked it as the
\nnation's most corrupt city. The Jakarta Post asked residents for
\ntheir opinion on the issue.<\/p>\n
Astrid, 27, works at a private company as a secretary. She
\nlives with her father and two brothers on Jl. Fatmawati, South
\nJakarta:<\/p>\n
I think corruption is not just a problem here. It's a practice
\nthat is as old as time, you get more if you pay more.<\/p>\n
The problem though has only gotten worse as people now have to
\npay bribes for basic public services.<\/p>\n
I applied for a driver's license last year. I followed the
\ncorrect procedure up to the point when I was supposed to be given
\nmy license.<\/p>\n
The officer refused to give me my card, saying there was a
\nproblem. Of course, I didn't believe him. So I asked him how much
\nhe wanted. He mentioned the price. I haggled, telling him that
\nI'm just an employee and don't have much money. I ended up paying
\nRp 50,000.<\/p>\n
This was not an isolated incident, but something that I have
\nexperienced many times. The government does not seem to be aware
\nthat widespread corruption in the public service destroys the
\npeople's trust in the government.<\/p>\n
Arman, 28, is an activist with a non-governmental organization
\nin Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta. He lives in Matraman, Central
\nJakarta:<\/p>\n
If Governor Sutiyoso is serious about fighting corruption as
\nhe stated in the media, administration officials should be
\nworried about their jobs.<\/p>\n
Though, so far, only a few officials have lost their jobs due
\nto alleged corruption.<\/p>\n
Therefore, I doubt he is serious about cracking down on
\nembezzlers.<\/p>\n
If he is really serious, he should put credible figures in the
\nCity Audit Agency (Bawasda), or at least threaten the current
\nofficials to do better jobs or face dismal.<\/p>\n
Second, he should dismiss high-ranking officials who have
\nembezzled funds and make their dismissals serve as a warning.<\/p>\n
Third, he must personally monitor city agencies and the
\nquality of projects financed by the city budget and not just wait
\nfor reports.<\/p>\n
--The Jakarta Post<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/is-sutiyoso-serious-about-fighting-graft-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }