Putting the corrupt on notice<\/p>\n
Patrick Guntensperger, Business Consultant, Jakarta,
\nttpguntensperger@hotmail.com<\/p>\n
In his eloquent and insightful article (Foreign consultants
\ncould help fight corruption, The Jakarta Post, Monday, April 12,
\n2004), Ziad Salim suggests that the deployment of foreign
\nconsultants in key government departments would be an effective
\ntool in our struggle against Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism
\n(KKN). I applaud the writer's integrity and courage in supporting
\nsuch a concept. Salim points to the successful employment of such
\na strategy in the past and recommends its use again on a broader
\nscale; it is to be hoped that those who wish to pursue the
\ncampaign against KKN, and are in a position to make their voices
\nheard, consider this strategy seriously.<\/p>\n
Obviously there is an instinctive and wholly understandable
\ninclination to bridle at a proposal that, at first glance, might
\nseem demeaning to a sovereign nation like Indonesia. The proposal
\nmay seem as though it amounts to a recommendation that this
\ncountry humbles herself before the rest of the world by admitting
\nto a failure of internal governance of such grotesque proportions
\nthat the help of outsiders is necessary to set things right. From
\nthe point of view of an Indonesian nationalist, that's exactly
\nwhat the proposal entails. And yet, in a way, that is the
\nproposal's greatest strength.<\/p>\n
It is self-deceptive as well as disingenuous to pretend to the
\nrest of the world that Indonesia is not crippled by corruption,
\nthat KKN is not rampant throughout every level of government. To
\npretend that it doesn't exist or that it isn't a serious problem
\nis to send out to the rest of the world a message that we
\ntolerate KKN, that we are, in fact, comfortable with one of the
\nmost radically corrupt systems in the world. Our turning a blind
\neye to it doesn't fool anyone; it merely confirms the suspicions
\nof cynical observers that corruption, bribery and theft are
\nimmutable components of Indonesian culture.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, consider the message that would be sent out
\nif Indonesia were to solicit input from foreign experts in an
\neffort to revamp and clean up some of the more offensive hotspots
\nof KKN in its civil government. If a new Indonesian government
\nwere to acknowledge the fact that there exists a serious problem
\nwith KKN (a fact that is evident to everyone, anyway), and were
\nto recruit respected and recognized professionals to consult on
\nways and means of improving an intolerable situation, many
\npositive signals would be sent out.<\/p>\n
In the first place, it would tell the world that, contrary to
\nappearances and uninformed popular belief, corruption is not
\ngenerally acceptable to Indonesians, that theft, bribery,
\nexploitation of public office and other assorted crimes are
\nneither approved of nor encouraged by the majority of Indonesian
\ncitizens. That alone would make a significant difference in the
\nworld's perception of Indonesia. But the message goes much
\nfurther.<\/p>\n
It would encourage the world to take a fresh look at Indonesia
\nas a potential trading partner, beneficiary of investment capital
\nand tourism destination. The fact that outside sources are being
\nrecruited would highlight Indonesia's new commitment to reversing
\nher reputation as a center of corruption. What could be a clearer
\nindication that the problem of KKN is being taken seriously than
\na willingness to go outside of her borders in a search for a
\nsolution?<\/p>\n
Domestically, a strong message will be sent as well. By
\nrecruiting outside experts to help crush KKN, we will be serving
\nnotice on those who practice it that there's a new sheriff in
\ntown and things are going to be different. The corrupt abusers of
\nthe system would get the message that their actions are wrong;
\ntheir behavior is illegal, immoral and will not be tolerated. The
\nradical nature of the remedy would force them to confront the
\nfact that they are, in fact, criminals and that they are the root
\ncause of much of the suffering in this country. It will also let
\nthem know that they are now being pursued by the forces of law
\nand good government.<\/p>\n
There would be other tangible effects that arise from the
\nimplementation of the proposal. The foreign consultants who step
\nin to help would have no family or social ties to those whom they
\nwould investigate and prosecute. They would therefore have little
\nfear of repercussions, as their families would be outside of the
\ncountry, out of reach of vengeful criminals caught in the
\ndragnet. A great number of personal cash cows would be returned
\nto the public herd, and the program would quickly pay for itself.<\/p>\n
To request help from experts is not to demean ourselves; it is
\nto make it clear that we are willing to learn from the mistakes
\nothers have made in an effort to speed up the process of finding
\nour maturity as a nation. We have had a very short time to
\ndevelop the social strategies needed to live in a non-
\nauthoritarian state; we would merely be taking advantage of what
\nhas taken some countries hundreds of years to develop. Strategies
\nlike this would leapfrog us into the twenty-first century and
\ncommand respect for Indonesia's commitment to be taken seriously
\nas a player in the game of geopolitics and global economics.<\/p>",
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