Corruption, the nation's backbone?

I regularly look at your website and I must say I am impressed by some of the points, views and suggestions raised. However, I am sad to say that I believe the government is not reading this column. The issues of corruption; annual forest fires and the resulting haze; logging and the illegal timber trade; tsunami aid and the persecution of Catholics are most commonly featured. Has anything been done?

Send anyone with an ounce of common-sense to Kalimantan to do a report on corruption and the illegal timber trade and what do you think they would find?

Just a few weeks back I seized the chance to go back to Kalimantan and see if there was any improvement. Well, there were some changes and new faces in the Army and police. The rest? It is still the same.

Corruption is not a way of life in Indonesia. It is a culture. Take away corruption and the whole system collapses. For every disaster that happen here, there are many who become millionaires.

STEVEN CHUA, Kuching, Sarawak