'Officials demand money unshamedly'<\/p>\n
A survey by Transparency International Indonesia (TII) has ranked
\nJakarta as the nation's most corrupt city. The tax and customs
\noffices have also come under fire of late, for the gross level of
\ncorruption within them. The Jakarta Post asked residents for
\ntheir comments on the issue.<\/p>\n
Syandra (not her real name), 30, works for a company on Jl.
\nJend. Sudirman, South Jakarta. She lives in Sunter, North
\nJakarta:<\/p>\n
I personally have had bad experiences dealing with government
\nofficials, especially with officers from the tax office. It is
\nbulls*** should they claim in the media that their hands are
\nclean.<\/p>\n
Every year, when it is time to pay taxes or be inspected by
\nthe tax office, I have to deal with officials who unashamedly ask
\nfor money.<\/p>\n
They even bluntly acknowledged that half of it would go to
\ntheir bosses, while they would share the other half. And they do
\nnot ask for Rp 10 million, mind you, they demand a hefty Rp 200
\nmillion (US$22,471) for the approval of our documents.<\/p>\n
The traffic police stopped me several times, as well, After
\nthreatening to ticket me, they offered me an amicable solution:
\nRp 10,000 to Rp 50,000 in hush money.<\/p>\n
I don't know what kinds of efforts can be made to eradicate
\ncorruption in the country.<\/p>\n
Rizky, 23, is a freelance teacher for a school in Bintaro,
\nSouth Jakarta. She lives with her family in Bintaro:<\/p>\n
I think corruption occurs everywhere. I have heard that job
\nseekers applying for positions in government offices, as well as
\nprivate companies, have been asked to pay bribes to up their
\nchances.<\/p>\n
A relative told me that she was asked to pay Rp 30 million to
\nbecome a security officer in Blok M, South Jakarta. Another
\nfriend let slip that she had been asked to pay Rp 15 million to
\nget a job in a bank.<\/p>\n
Corruption certainly makes life complicated. We can take steps
\nto eradicate it though, such as speaking out when local thugs
\nbully public transport drivers for money.<\/p>\n
--The Jakarta Post<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/officials-demand-money-unshamedly-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }