Everyday dealings with corruption

I have seen recently many references to corruption in the press. The focus seems to be on "institutional" or high-level of corruption -- corruption in big business and/or at high levels in the public administration, while the "lower" levels of corruption, which are more taxing to the ordinary citizen, and which I see nearly every day, are overlooked.

My wife is Indonesian, so I spend a lot of my time in Indonesia, and as I travel to and from Indonesia I often feel that I am the favorite target of corrupt immigration officials.

I have been asked for "gifts" of cash (U.S. dollars preferred) by immigration officials at Kupang, Bali, Palembang, Jakarta and Medan. From what I hear from other frequent travelers, and experience myself, in Bali, Kupang and Jakarta this now seems to be routine (but I must say I've no such trouble in Batam or Tanjung Pinang; the officials there seem to be content to politely and efficiently do the jobs they are paid to do, without feeling the need to corruptly solicit "extras" from the traveling public).

In Medan I was once asked to pay a "fine" for "overstaying" my 60-day visitor's permit. I was leaving on day 60. Following this, when I arrived in Malaysia, I found that RM100, saved in the back of my passport folder for taxi fares, had disappeared.

In Kupang this year a customs official, in full view of his colleagues and half a plane-load of arriving visitors, stole from my luggage some candy I had brought from Australia as a gift to my wife. The police officer I immediately reported this to at the airport, while the stolen candy was still in full view, told me I would be better off forgetting about it. After all, wasn't I likely to use Kupang as an entry and exit port in the future, and wasn't it better to avoid future problems, like full baggage searches and possible "loss" of my passport (presumably by officials)? This was offered as a threat, not advice.

In Bali I was once directed out of a traffic jam by police near Candi Dasar and requested to pay a "speeding fine" of Rp 60,000 or face confiscation of my driving license. I had not been "speeding" -- there was no way I could have been in the prevailing traffic conditions.

As I left Palembang about three years ago an official insisted I was required to pay an "arrival tax" of $31, notwithstanding that I was leaving, and that the tax was still about one month from being introduced. His pathetic argument was that the tax was due as I had earlier "arrived" at the airport to catch my flight.

Most times I need to do business with the bureaucracy, even if fees for the various services provided are on public display, I am asked to pay additional "administration fees". And so it goes on, but this sort of thing pales into insignificance in the face of what I call pajak kulit putih (white people tax), which is the increase over the harga biasa (ordinary price) I am asked to pay most times I make a purchase simply, it seems, because of my skin color, and whether or not items are price-tagged.

My wife also suffers this type of corruption whenever she makes a purchase in my company, or is away from home and is noticed to be different from the local people.

The current popular cry in Indonesia is to stop corruption. Most people would say it would be good for everyone, but sadly it seems to me that most of those people would be corrupt themselves -- either by soliciting "special fees" or gifts -- or by providing them. Let's see if the cry can translate to action.

ROBERT W. McGUIGAN

Jakarta