Potentially corrupt sectors

Potentially corrupt sectors

From Bisnis Indonesia

On March 31, 1997 Bisnis Indonesia ran an article under the heading PNS management ripe for total reform because of corrupt practices which was based on a report of PERC, a research organization in Hong Kong.

In the article, Didik J. Rachbani claimed that, "to eradicate corruption, government should exercise caution with placing personnel in potentially corrupt sectors such as tax, inland revenue, and customs departments."

Admittedly, since times of antiquity, tax collectors have been regarded as mean, greedy, and sinful individuals as can be read in the Bible, Lukas 18 where the Pharisees were likened to tax collectors.

In the modern era, this may no longer be true. Potentially corrupt sectors have expanded outside taxes and customs.

Sumitro Djojohadikusumo has said that final conclusion investigations conducted by BPKP ( Development and Financial Control Board) and BPK (Supreme Audit Agency) was a budgetary leak of about 30 per cent.

Credit repayments running to trillions of rupiah have become blocked in state banks. There are indications of the even more rampant corruption in non-tax and the customs departments.

Didik J. Rachbani's evaluation indicates that corruption in revenue gathering departments other than tax and customs are even larger.

We believe that potentially corrupt sectors should be added to those where authority and power wielding departments where decisions are made.

Government should be careful when placing people in those sectors.

HUSSEIN KARTASASMITA

Jakarta