RI society is facing a crisis of confidence<\/p>\n
Ardimas Sasdi, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Police raided a Jakarta-based educational institute last week
\nand found that the institution had awarded bogus academic titles
\nto well over 2,000 people. But the most bizarre aspect of this
\nmatter are the backgrounds of the recipients.<\/p>\n
Listed as recipients, according to police, are a former vice
\npresident, former Cabinet ministers, senior police officers and
\nreligious leaders -- people who are idolized in our hierarchical
\nsociety.<\/p>\n
This shameful story only strengthens the public perception
\nthat our society is suffering from a serious moral crisis. Some
\npeople justify any means to reach their goals, even though they
\ngo against norms, values and conscience.<\/p>\n
Bogus academic titles are not a new phenomena, and neither are
\nthey exclusive to Indonesia, but this event is unusual because of
\nthe large number of recipients involved and their prominent
\nstatus in society. The issue is also not conducive towards our
\ngoals of creating a healthy, competitive system in our society.<\/p>\n
Worse, not only could further erode the confidence of
\nforeigners in us, but it could also wipe out any pride
\nIndonesians may have had in the areas of academic achievement. We
\ncontinue to be regularly outshined by our neighbors such as
\nMalaysia, Singapore and Thailand.<\/p>\n
Indeed a professor cum mentor at a university expressed his
\nconcern to the writer last year about a report in a noted U.S.
\nmedia outlet that a former vice president of Indonesia had a
\nbogus academic title. In a humiliating conclusion, the American
\ndaily linked the use of bogus titles in Indonesia with the
\nprolonged financial crisis and unclear directions in our economy.<\/p>\n
The questionable academic titles included undergraduate
\ndegrees, master's degrees and doctorates in various disciplines,
\nand came into the spotlight recently after Vice President Jusuf
\nKalla questioned the validity of academic titles of officials in
\nthe regencies, mayoralties and provinces.<\/p>\n
The Vice President's suspicion was not without reason.
\nTheoretically, it is difficult for busy people like mayors,
\nregents and governors to sit in classrooms, read difficult
\ntextbooks and do homework like regular students.<\/p>\n
Following up on the Vice President's concern, the Ministry of
\nNational Education placed advertisements with several TV
\nstations. One scene in an advertisement shows Minister of
\nNational Education Bambang Sudibyo warning the public that both
\nrecipients and givers of fake degrees, which cost around Rp 10
\nmillion (US$1,000), could be sentenced to five years in jail or
\nfined Rp 500 million.<\/p>\n
Naturally, getting reliable data on the numbers of holders of
\nfake academic titles is difficult, but the number is certainly
\nmuch higher than the figure released by police. Dozens of
\npoliticians, who last year joined contested seats in the regional
\nlegislative councils, for instance, have had their ambitions
\ndashed because they used bogus academic titles or school
\ncertificates.<\/p>\n
Under the law, members of the regional legislative councils
\nmust have a minimum secondary education, but many politicians in
\nthe regions do not have high school certificates, much less
\nacademic titles.<\/p>\n
The motivations of people in acquiring fake academic titles
\nis, however, not singular. Some people occupying higher echelons
\nin the government and the military\/police bought academic degrees
\nthinking that these would help them advance their careers.<\/p>\n
Unlike in developed countries where achievements come before
\nacademic degrees, in Indonesia an academic degree is crucial for
\npromotion to higher positions as well as being a potent symbol of
\nsocial status and success. Thus no wonder why many people put a
\nline of degrees like Drs. Anu, MM, MBA or Dr. Ir. Badu. MEg, MSc
\nafter their names. Some may well be fake.<\/p>\n
But in our system that is full of contradictions, people with
\na so-so education or those with bogus titles usually occupy key
\nand "wet" posts, while smart people with good degrees from the
\nbest universities, are sidelined, occupying less important and
\n"dry" positions. "Wet" and "dry" in this case refers to a post's
\npotential to generate illicit additional income.<\/p>\n
This situation occurred because people in high office, who
\nmake decisions on promotions, cannot take criticism from their
\nsubordinates.<\/p>\n
The most annoying aspect about fake academic titles is that it
\nclearly indicates that our society is suffering from a crisis of
\nconfidence. On the one hand we are hyper-critical of scientists,
\nwho are seen as being merely people who are good at theories, but
\non the other hand we are fond of using their titles, even if they
\nare bogus.<\/p>\n
The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-society-is-facing-a-crisis-of-confidence-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }