Second only to Vietnam<\/p>\n
It hardly surprises anyone anymore that, once again, Indonesia
\nfinds itself placed in the position of the second most corrupt
\ncountry -- second only to Vietnam -- on a list of Asian countries
\npublished by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC)
\ngroup over the weekend. It is hardly a consolation that with a
\nscore of 9.50 out of 10, this country is not so much worse than
\nIndia, which scored 9.25, and the Philippines with a score of 9.<\/p>\n
Neither is it very surprising that Indonesia's tiny but
\nefficiently run neighbor, Singapore, took the top honor of coming
\nout the "cleanest" in the survey, followed by Hong Kong and
\nJapan, Thailand, China, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan.
\nThailand came out a little better than the Philippines with a
\nscore of 8.55, China with 7.88, South Korea with 7, and Malaysia
\nand Taiwan both with a score of 6.<\/p>\n
The PERC report bases its findings on polls taken among some
\n700 expatriate business players operating in 12 Asian countries.
\nThe general perception that exists among them, PERC notes, is
\nvery clear: corruption is still a serious problem in almost all
\nthe countries in which the polls were taken. It may be
\ninteresting to note some of the comments that are included in the
\nPERC report.<\/p>\n
Regarding Thailand and the Philippines, for example, PERC
\ncomments that both those countries, though still beset by serious
\ncorruption problems, are seen to be working on bringing about
\nsystemic changes toward improvement -- with some tangible
\nresults. With regard to the Philippines, the agency said that
\nwhile President Estrada may be gone, it remained to be seen to
\nwhat degree the country had progressed in its fight against
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
Vietnam and China, the report notes, were similarly beset by
\ncorruption. In both these countries, though, their governments
\nwere willing to acknowledge that corruption was extensive and
\nthat serious efforts had to be made to fight it.<\/p>\n
In a third category of countries -- which the PERC report
\nconspicuously refrains from mentioning, the authorities refuse to
\nacknowledge that corruption exists and even punish their critics.
\nWhile Indonesia is not specifically mentioned in this context, it
\nis easy to guess in which category it belongs.<\/p>\n
It must be admitted that in the 18 months since its
\ninstallation, the administration of President Abdurrahman Wahid
\nhas done little that is tangible in fighting corruption in this
\ncountry. Allegations are often heard that corruption under the
\npresent administration may indeed be worse than under that of
\nformer president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Whether this is really so is better left to our legislators
\nand investigators to determine. As far as the public is
\nconcerned, however, the many allegations of corruption that are
\nleft dangling or unanswered are easily perceived as confirmation
\nthat corruption is still rampant despite the reform movement<\/p>\n
The cases that have become known as Bruneigate and Bulogate
\nare still waiting for answers. A handful of tycoons -- former
\ncronies of ex-president Soeharto -- have remained untouchable due
\nto the intervention of President Abdurrahman Wahid on the grounds
\nthat their contribution to the country's economic recovery is
\nneeded.<\/p>\n
In the light of all this, the latest PERC report should serve
\nas a reminder to the nation that much still remains to be done
\nbefore Indonesia can even think of starting on the path of
\neconomic recovery. Corruption is a national blight that must be
\neradicated with all the force that we can muster. Protecting it
\nmay benefit a few in the short term. In the longer term it will
\nhelp no one.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/second-only-to-vietnam-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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