Putting the corrupt on notice

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.