Countering allegations of corruption

The validity of Transparency International's recent report on worldwide corruption deserves to be questioned.

The report was well-meaning because it is aimed at curbing corruption in all countries. Nevertheless, the open nature of the report and the fact that only 52 countries were included in the survey gives rise to speculations about the real objectives of this growing non-governmental organization.

Most international NGOs are extensions of a country's diplomatic arm. The country in which an NGO is domiciled or its founding organization often use it as an instrument for policy implementation.

Diplomatic efforts relating to the extension of aid to developing countries, for example, rely on NGO reports and often use them as a pretext for denying requests for assistance or for reducing the amount of aid extended.

The Transparency International report on corruption in Indonesia must therefore be refuted. We cannot allow such reports to go unchallenged because they could damage our reputation. We must demand validation of all the facts that Transparency International used to compile its report in order to avert a one- sided presentation.

For our own internal use, however, these reports could be helpful in spurring us on in our fight against corruption.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta