A matter of integrity

A matter of integrity

Although the case may not have been quite as intriguing as the
submission of the list of candidates for the upcoming national
legislation, the theft of two paintings by prominent Indonesian
masters at Jakarta's National Museum was widely reported in the
press and attracted much public attention.

How could such valuable works of art have disappeared from a
museum as big as the National Museum? Minister of Education and
Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro believes that the inadequate
security system and the low salaries of the museum's personnel
could have been the reasons for the incident. The minister's
remark seems to affirm suspicions that the theft was committed
with the help of "insiders" at the museum.

Whenever insiders are involved, any security system, however
strong, can be penetrated. The question is, is it true that the
"insiders" allowed themselves to become involved because of their
low pay? We suspect that in this particular case, not only low-
level employees are involved. The reason is that it is not an
easy job to negotiate the sale of paintings that are worth
hundreds of millions of rupiah.

Aside from the problem of low pay, we tend to believe that a
corrupt mentality is at the root of the case. If a corrupt
mentality is the problem, no level of salary will guarantee that
thefts will not occur. We agree that the salaries of museum
guards should be raised and that the security of state property
should be better assured. However, we expect all officials or
employees in charge to maintain the highest level of integrity.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta