MPR RI Urges Civil Servants to Embrace Modesty to Prevent Corruption
The Inspectorate of the General Secretariat of the MPR RI held an Anti-Corruption Socialisation event titled ‘From Legal Awareness to an Anti-Corruption Culture’ at the Nusantara V Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday (21/7). The activity was part of strengthening the Government Internal Control System (SPIP) and served as an internal reflection to build a culture of integrity in the workplace. Before the event began, participants watched a short film titled ‘Cuma Dikit’ (Just a Little), a creative work by MPR RI General Secretariat employees that presented a satirical jab at corrupt practices. The screening was met with enthusiastic applause from the participants.
Opening the event, Plt. Secretary General of the MPR RI, Siti Fauziah, stressed the importance of instilling the values of modesty and honesty in the daily lives of civil servants. She argued that reforming the anti-corruption culture must start with small steps to prevent the potential for larger deviations. ‘Specifically, I want to emphasise the value of simplicity. If we live modestly and do not demand excessive things, our minds will not be driven to find deviant ways to achieve more and more. An honest attitude will also foster trust and cultivate integrity at work,’ Siti Fauziah stated.
In agreement, Inspector of the MPR RI General Secretariat, Anies Mayangsari Muninggar, asserted that corruption prevention cannot rely solely on formal rule compliance but must transform into a living organisational culture. ‘Corruption prevention is not merely a matter of compliance with rules, but how the values of integrity, accountability, transparency, and professionalism truly live in every work process,’ Anies said.
The socialisation, packaged as an interactive workshop, featured two main speakers: Constitutional Law expert from Andalas University, Feri Amsari, and senior journalist and former Director General of IKP at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Dr. Usman Kansong. Feri Amsari criticised Indonesia’s anti-corruption efforts as being trapped in a ceremonial phase. He argued that demands for civil servant integrity must be balanced with systemic improvements, workload rationalisation, and measurable welfare guarantees from the state. Meanwhile, Usman Kansong highlighted the need to shift from a ‘shame culture’ to a ‘guilt culture’, where legal compliance grows from deep ethical awareness rather than just the fear of being caught.
At the end of the event, Siti Fauziah expressed her commitment to following up on any reports of irregularities within the MPR RI General Secretariat, hoping that corrupt practices can be minimised for the institution’s future sustainability.