Putting the corrupt on notice
Patrick Guntensperger, Business Consultant, Jakarta, ttpguntensperger@hotmail.com
In his eloquent and insightful article (Foreign consultants could help fight corruption, The Jakarta Post, Monday, April 12, 2004), Ziad Salim suggests that the deployment of foreign consultants in key government departments would be an effective tool in our struggle against Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism (KKN). I applaud the writer's integrity and courage in supporting such a concept. Salim points to the successful employment of such a strategy in the past and recommends its use again on a broader scale; it is to be hoped that those who wish to pursue the campaign against KKN, and are in a position to make their voices heard, consider this strategy seriously.
Obviously there is an instinctive and wholly understandable inclination to bridle at a proposal that, at first glance, might seem demeaning to a sovereign nation like Indonesia. The proposal may seem as though it amounts to a recommendation that this country humbles herself before the rest of the world by admitting to a failure of internal governance of such grotesque proportions that the help of outsiders is necessary to set things right. From the point of view of an Indonesian nationalist, that's exactly what the proposal entails. And yet, in a way, that is the proposal's greatest strength.
It is self-deceptive as well as disingenuous to pretend to the rest of the world that Indonesia is not crippled by corruption, that KKN is not rampant throughout every level of government. To pretend that it doesn't exist or that it isn't a serious problem is to send out to the rest of the world a message that we tolerate KKN, that we are, in fact, comfortable with one of the most radically corrupt systems in the world. Our turning a blind eye to it doesn't fool anyone; it merely confirms the suspicions of cynical observers that corruption, bribery and theft are immutable components of Indonesian culture.
On the other hand, consider the message that would be sent out if Indonesia were to solicit input from foreign experts in an effort to revamp and clean up some of the more offensive hotspots of KKN in its civil government. If a new Indonesian government were to acknowledge the fact that there exists a serious problem with KKN (a fact that is evident to everyone, anyway), and were to recruit respected and recognized professionals to consult on ways and means of improving an intolerable situation, many positive signals would be sent out.
In the first place, it would tell the world that, contrary to appearances and uninformed popular belief, corruption is not generally acceptable to Indonesians, that theft, bribery, exploitation of public office and other assorted crimes are neither approved of nor encouraged by the majority of Indonesian citizens. That alone would make a significant difference in the world's perception of Indonesia. But the message goes much further.
It would encourage the world to take a fresh look at Indonesia as a potential trading partner, beneficiary of investment capital and tourism destination. The fact that outside sources are being recruited would highlight Indonesia's new commitment to reversing her reputation as a center of corruption. What could be a clearer indication that the problem of KKN is being taken seriously than a willingness to go outside of her borders in a search for a solution?
Domestically, a strong message will be sent as well. By recruiting outside experts to help crush KKN, we will be serving notice on those who practice it that there's a new sheriff in town and things are going to be different. The corrupt abusers of the system would get the message that their actions are wrong; their behavior is illegal, immoral and will not be tolerated. The radical nature of the remedy would force them to confront the fact that they are, in fact, criminals and that they are the root cause of much of the suffering in this country. It will also let them know that they are now being pursued by the forces of law and good government.
There would be other tangible effects that arise from the implementation of the proposal. The foreign consultants who step in to help would have no family or social ties to those whom they would investigate and prosecute. They would therefore have little fear of repercussions, as their families would be outside of the country, out of reach of vengeful criminals caught in the dragnet. A great number of personal cash cows would be returned to the public herd, and the program would quickly pay for itself.
To request help from experts is not to demean ourselves; it is to make it clear that we are willing to learn from the mistakes others have made in an effort to speed up the process of finding our maturity as a nation. We have had a very short time to develop the social strategies needed to live in a non- authoritarian state; we would merely be taking advantage of what has taken some countries hundreds of years to develop. Strategies like this would leapfrog us into the twenty-first century and command respect for Indonesia's commitment to be taken seriously as a player in the game of geopolitics and global economics.