'Officials demand money unshamedly'

A survey by Transparency International Indonesia (TII) has ranked Jakarta as the nation's most corrupt city. The tax and customs offices have also come under fire of late, for the gross level of corruption within them. The Jakarta Post asked residents for their comments on the issue.

Syandra (not her real name), 30, works for a company on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, South Jakarta. She lives in Sunter, North Jakarta:

I personally have had bad experiences dealing with government officials, especially with officers from the tax office. It is bulls*** should they claim in the media that their hands are clean.

Every year, when it is time to pay taxes or be inspected by the tax office, I have to deal with officials who unashamedly ask for money.

They even bluntly acknowledged that half of it would go to their bosses, while they would share the other half. And they do not ask for Rp 10 million, mind you, they demand a hefty Rp 200 million (US$22,471) for the approval of our documents.

The traffic police stopped me several times, as well, After threatening to ticket me, they offered me an amicable solution: Rp 10,000 to Rp 50,000 in hush money.

I don't know what kinds of efforts can be made to eradicate corruption in the country.

Rizky, 23, is a freelance teacher for a school in Bintaro, South Jakarta. She lives with her family in Bintaro:

I think corruption occurs everywhere. I have heard that job seekers applying for positions in government offices, as well as private companies, have been asked to pay bribes to up their chances.

A relative told me that she was asked to pay Rp 30 million to become a security officer in Blok M, South Jakarta. Another friend let slip that she had been asked to pay Rp 15 million to get a job in a bank.

Corruption certainly makes life complicated. We can take steps to eradicate it though, such as speaking out when local thugs bully public transport drivers for money.

--The Jakarta Post