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