Many admit to bribing officials<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
In what is seen as further proof that corruption is entrenched in
\nIndonesian society, up to 30 percent of Indonesian adults may
\nhave bribed officials in 2005 for speedy government service in
\nobtaining either an ID card, a driver's license or a business
\npermit.<\/p>\n
This fact was revealed in the 2005 Global Corruption
\nBarometer, a report issued by Transparency International. The
\nreport was submitted on Friday to President Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono, who has made the fight against graft one of his top
\npriorities.<\/p>\n
However, Indonesia was not the worst offender. According to
\nthe report, in Cambodia, Cameroon, Paraguay and Mexico between 31
\npercent and 45 percent of the population bribed authorities in
\n2005.<\/p>\n
The report said Indonesians regarded political parties as the
\nmost corrupt institution in the country. That was a common
\nperception, with people in 43 of the 69 countries where the
\nsurvey was carried out sharing this same opinion.<\/p>\n
In the survey, which was conducted by Gallup International on
\nbehalf of Transparency International, Indonesians gave political
\nparties a score of 4.2.<\/p>\n
Scores ranged from 1 to 5, reflecting the least corrupt to the
\nmost corrupt.<\/p>\n
Coming right behind political parties in Indonesia were the
\nHouse of Representatives, the police and the customs and excise
\noffice, which all received a score of 4.0. The judiciary and the
\ntax office both received a score of 3.8.<\/p>\n
\"Corruption remains a big concern for citizens around the
\nworld, who pinpoint their political and judicial systems first
\nand foremost. However, while political corruption is cited as a
\nmajor problem in many countries, it is also clear that bribery
\nand petty corruption weigh heavily on the public in many poor
\nnations,\" the report said.<\/p>\n
Unlike many respondents in other countries, however,
\nIndonesians believe there is always a silver lining behind the
\ndark clouds.<\/p>\n
The report found that Indonesians are the most optimistic in
\nexpecting a decline in corruption during the next three years.<\/p>\n
As many as 81 percent of Indonesian respondents believe the
\nlevel of corruption in the country will eventually decline. That
\nfigure is a record high for the country, up from 66 percent in
\n2004 and 55 percent in 2003.<\/p>\n
Forty percent of Indonesian respondents believe corruption
\nlevels have already begun to decrease over the past three years.
\nA positive perception of corruption eradication was also seen in
\nColumbia (40 percent), Georgia (46 percent) and Kenya (48
\npercent).<\/p>\n
This optimistic attitude in Indonesia is largely related to
\nthe work of the Corruption Eradication Commission, which showed
\nsignificant progress in dealing with high-profile graft cases in
\n2005, TI Indonesia said.<\/p>\n
TI Indonesia supervisory board chairman Todung Mulya Lubis
\nsaid the government must maintain this positive sentiment by
\nintensifying its antigraft campaign.<\/p>\n
\"It's a fantastic figure. We told the President that the
\nantigraft movement that he has led has raised the public's
\nexpectations. We have to maintain the momentum,\" Todung said
\nafter a meeting with Susilo.<\/p>\n
He said TI Indonesia asked the President to continue \"going
\nafter the big fish\" and to enact a law protecting whistle-blowers
\nto bolster the antigraft movement.<\/p>\n
The Global Corruption Barometer is different from the Index
\nCorruption Perception, which is also issued by TI. While the
\nGlobal Barometer surveys regular people, the Index Perception
\ntargets businesspeople and executives.<\/p>",
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