'Is Sutiyoso serious about fighting graft?'

'Is Sutiyoso serious about fighting graft?'

While the Jakarta administration's ongoing campaign aims to
promote the capital as the "service city", a survey conducted by
Transparency International Indonesia (TII) has ranked it as the
nation's most corrupt city. The Jakarta Post asked residents for
their opinion on the issue.

Astrid, 27, works at a private company as a secretary. She
lives with her father and two brothers on Jl. Fatmawati, South
Jakarta:

I think corruption is not just a problem here. It's a practice
that is as old as time, you get more if you pay more.

The problem though has only gotten worse as people now have to
pay bribes for basic public services.

I applied for a driver's license last year. I followed the
correct procedure up to the point when I was supposed to be given
my license.

The officer refused to give me my card, saying there was a
problem. Of course, I didn't believe him. So I asked him how much
he wanted. He mentioned the price. I haggled, telling him that
I'm just an employee and don't have much money. I ended up paying
Rp 50,000.

This was not an isolated incident, but something that I have
experienced many times. The government does not seem to be aware
that widespread corruption in the public service destroys the
people's trust in the government.

Arman, 28, is an activist with a non-governmental organization
in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta. He lives in Matraman, Central
Jakarta:

If Governor Sutiyoso is serious about fighting corruption as
he stated in the media, administration officials should be
worried about their jobs.

Though, so far, only a few officials have lost their jobs due
to alleged corruption.

Therefore, I doubt he is serious about cracking down on
embezzlers.

If he is really serious, he should put credible figures in the
City Audit Agency (Bawasda), or at least threaten the current
officials to do better jobs or face dismal.

Second, he should dismiss high-ranking officials who have
embezzled funds and make their dismissals serve as a warning.

Third, he must personally monitor city agencies and the
quality of projects financed by the city budget and not just wait
for reports.

--The Jakarta Post