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