Public told to be wary of corruption survey

Public told to be wary of corruption survey

JAKARTA (JP): The government has warned the public to be wary
of a survey by a foreign organization which lists Indonesia as
one of the three most corrupt countries in Asia.

Speaking yesterday on the study by the Hong Kong-based
Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd. (PERC) which was
released last week, State Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said
he did not know what criteria were used in the survey.

According to the annual survey of 12 countries by PERC, China,
Vietnam and Indonesia topped the list of the most corrupt
countries in the region.

"We should not think of ourselves as a powerless nation and
lose self confidence. We should also not feel that we are a
corrupt nation," Moerdiono said after accompanying President
Soeharto in a meeting with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma.

Abuse of power

He said that corruption and abuse of power still exist but the
government is determined to fight them. Citing an example of the
administration's seriousness in this area, the minister pointed
to the fact that Vice President Try Sutrisno is in charge of
supervision and has conducted regular meetings on the problem.

Try has also introduced a special post office box, Tromol Pos
5000, for the public who want to report corruption cases they
find in the bureaucracy.

In addition, the government has also received reports from the
government audit agency, the attorney general's office, and the
Ministry of Administrative Reforms, he said.

"If corruption is that bad would it have been possible for us
to reach steady growth for such a long period of time? If its
true corruption is that bad, would it have been possible to
control inflation?" Moerdiono asked.

"If corruption is that bad, would it have been possible for us
to lower the poverty level so sharply? And would it have been
possible for us to undertake social development like the
education program?" he further queried.

"In the health sector, our progress is also incredible," he
added.

He added that the most important thing for Indonesia is to use
the survey as an input to improve the conditions of the people.
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Ukraine -- Page 4