BRIN Researcher Calls Corruption in Indonesia an 'Extraordinary Disaster'

A researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Siti Zuhro, has stated that corrupt practices in Indonesia have reached a deeply alarming stage. She assessed that corruption in the country has become an ‘extraordinary disaster’. ‘In my view, corruption in Indonesia is a serious, extraordinary disaster,’ she said, as quoted from a video uploaded to the Instagram account @lambe_turah on Sunday, 12 July 2026. She expressed sadness witnessing the many corruption cases in Indonesia involving public officials. She believes the issue of corruption is a serious matter that must be a shared concern. ‘I don’t want to discuss it, it’s sad, it’s really serious,’ she continued. On that occasion, Siti also highlighted parties who use their positions as a means to enrich themselves, rather than as a mandate to serve the public. ‘Their intention in becoming officials, or whatever, turns out to be to get rich, not to dedicate themselves. This is perhaps our concern. I once pursued this, how could it be like this, it’s extraordinary,’ she said. For context, data from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) from 2024 to the second quarter of 2025 shows that the highest number of corruption cases involved private sector employees, reaching 485 cases, followed by echelons I, II, III, and IV with 443 cases, and members of the House of Representatives and Regional Representative Councils with 364 cases. In total, KPK Deputy Chairperson Ibnu Basuki Widodo revealed that 1,878 perpetrators of corruption had been prosecuted based on their profession or position from 2024 to the second quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, referring to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Indonesia scored 37 out of 100, where 0 is the most corrupt and 100 is the cleanest. This score places Indonesia ahead of several other ASEAN countries, including Thailand (34), Laos (33), the Philippines (33), Cambodia (21), and Myanmar (16).