Another latent danger

Another latent danger

Talk of the anti-corruption drive has died down recently. And
while Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja seems sincere in his
desire to clean up the city bureaucracy, reality has yet to meet
theoretical intention.

Can public service continue functioning as corruption
flourishes in the shadows? The answer is still in the distance.
Only days ago Surjadi complained again of the poor condition of
the city's public service offices. His statement on Tuesday
blaming corrupt employees for the administration's worsening
public services implies the serious need for outside help.

His city is not only the seat of the central government but
also the country's capital, where rich and corrupt officials feel
free to flaunt their wealth in the faces of a public inured to
the life of the privileged.

Illicit dealings in the public administration have left the
public on very unsure ground. Most have no idea of where to
register a complaint when they are being victimized by officials
in the city administration's licensing business, to cite but one
example. The many branches of the supervisory agencies have
atrophied, impeding progress and leaving the system open to
abuse.

Corruption has long affected the local administrations in many
developing countries, where graft often becomes a part of
national culture. Some, however, are fighting this breach of
public trust. Malaysia has successfully kept its administration
clean thanks to the supremacy of law and the existence of "social
censorship", which allows citizens to report suspicious dealings.
Other countries have seen corruption buried together with corrupt
regimes.

Many allege that illegal practices are the natural consequence
of underpaid civil servants. Unfortunately, there is little truth
to the statement. Almost three decades ago, the government
embarked on an operation to raise the salaries of excise and duty
employees. After increasing their salaries nine times, the civil
servants were found to be no less corrupt than before.

Others blame consumerism for worsening public morale. This
theory might be closer to reality. Two decades have passed since
we have seen an anti-graft campaign, which is likely due to a
lack of political will on the part of the authorities who do not
see graft as a national threat. The situation will continue to
deteriorate unless a solid checks and balances system is put in
place.

Despite this pessimistic reality, we still hope that the
situation can be improved with the rise of a middle class. Many
of its members come from the business community, which will
hopefully demand the administration's sincerity if it wants them
to be sincere tax payers.

The IMF and the World Bank can help us improve the situation
by intensifying their control of efficiency in the countries
which receive their aid.

Before this hope can become a reality, however, Governor
Surjadi can do something to set his Jakarta house in order. If we
are to take his statement seriously, he should begin with his own
officials, whose expensive cars fill the mayoralty's parking lots
long before the people arrive in need of their services. Despite
salaries that range between Rp 200,000 and Rp 350,000 (US$100 and
$180) a month, many still live in the comfort of luxurious homes.

Perhaps this is the latent danger threatening national
stability.