Believe it or not

Believe it or not

Unbelievable things do happen in Indonesia, to an unbelievable
extent and in unbelievable ways. For example, the country is top
of the list of the most corrupt countries in the world. And yet,
only a handful of wrongdoers have been prosecuted. No wonder, the
Ripley's Believe It or Not exhibition in Jakarta was forced to
close down two years ago, reportedly because of poor business.
Was it perhaps a case that it could no longer compete with the
quality of unbelievable things that regularly happen here?

The latest in this theater of the absurd is the report that 77
vehicles valued at more than Rp 5 billion (about US$581,395
million) have been retained by former General Election Commission
(KPU) members and officials ever since the 1999 election. Among
those who have refused to return the state-owned vehicles are, of
all people, former minister of home affairs Gen. (ret) Rudini,
two retired directors general of social and political affairs at
the Ministry of Home Affairs, Djunidja and Sutoyo, and
politicians Sri Bintang Pamungkas, Mahadi Sinambela and Yahya C.
Staquf.

KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbakti said that among the
ludicrous excuses given by these recalcitrant officials was "my
children still need the use of the cars".

Sources disclose that the case of the "missing" cars is just
the tip of a scandalous iceberg within the KPU. Rumor has it that
an estimated 35 percent of the Rp 1.5 trillion budget for the
1999 election was embezzled or, to use politically correct
phraseology, has not been accounted for. The KPU's budget for the
coming 2004 election is about Rp 3.2 billion. And reportedly,
certain parties have already started jostling to be designated as
"election contractors" so as to get a piece of the action.

Is conscience such an incredibly rare and elusive quality
here? Should we ask Ripley to reopen its exhibition hall
featuring a different kind of show? Something like, "Believe It
or Not, the Indonesian Way"?