'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