Nominal corruption

Nominal corruption

Corruption is no longer moral decline. It is now just statistics.

The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) no longer refers to manipulation of state funds as corruption but as "irregularities".

In its latest report to the House of Representatives, the BPK disclosed trillions of rupiah of irregularities involving the central government, regional administrations, state-owned enterprises and firms owned by regional administrations.

Surprisingly, House members showed no surprise at all. They are more interested in internal struggles for promotions.

Even the government has reacted only rhetorically, for the mass media.

The war against corruption is over now. Corruption can easily be turned into mere auditing errors.

We once pinned high hopes on the new government because it vowed on the oath of office to fight corruption. The bitter fact now is that corruption is rife.

We used to hope the House would launch a clean governance drive but the reality is that it has turned into a corrupt institution itself.

Corruption is mere statistics and has no bearing on crime. -

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta.