Truth finally comes out
Truth finally comes out
Of late, corruption, collusion and nepotism have become very
popular words among experts (in politics, economics and law),
students and laymen. The government, private circles and common
people are now fully aware that deeply rooted practices of
corruption, collusion and nepotism led to the economic crisis and
the crisis of confidence.
Gaps between private and government circles, between the
ruling elite and common members of society, and between the
welfare level of private employees and that of civil servants and
members of the Armed Forces have all led to corrupt practices.
Collusion is practiced because power holders, on the one hand,
are bent on using their power to maintain a status quo or to
secure their own personal interests or those of their
groups/their families, while on the other hand, parties
establishing relationships with the power that be would like to
see their businesses run smoothly. In the same manner, rampant
practices of nepotism are attributable to the desire to maintain
power, sources of income and mundane pleasures for one's
families, etc.
Practices of corruption, collusion and nepotism must have gone
through quite a long process before they became as rife as they
are now. And all these years the common people have been falsely
fed with such high-sounding pledges such as: "Civil servants
serve the people", "the Armed Forces always take sides with the
people", "the government always prioritizes people's interests",
etc. All these slogans are cliches and people who seek justice
because they have been robbed of their rights no longer have
trust in either the government or the House of Representatives.
People's sincere trust and their great patience have been abused
many times by parties receiving the people's decree. It is for
this reason that the government and the House of Representatives
must correct themselves and make sure that they are always
oriented toward helping the economically weak/the helpless.
May I suggest that the government introduce correction as in
the following:
1. Make sure that civil servants/members of the Armed Forces
enjoy the same welfare level as that of private employees to
ensure that they do their jobs properly and stay away from
corruption and collusion.
2. Enhance efficiency by, for example, asking incompetent
employees to retire early, discharging delinquent employees and
promoting high achievers irrespective of their years of service.
3. Properly punishing employees involved in corruption and
collusion, regardless of their position, and rewarding employees
with high achievement. Names of both types of employees should be
announced in the mass media.
4. Instructing business tycoons to set aside, say, 25 percent
of their net assets to help small and medium-scale
businesspeople. Data must be provided by the Directorate General
of Taxation.
5. Donating a monthly meal allowance of Rp 100,000 to a
married person who has been laid off.
6. Punishing distributors of basic commodities engaged in
hoarding practices, acting as speculators or abusing their
business licenses. A special team should be established to
exercise control over this matter. Results of the team's work
should be publicly announced.
7. Discharging ministers who fail to achieve anything within
one year of their assignment and on the other hand rewarding
those who make achievements in their areas.
8. Limiting the presidency tenure to two terms only.
9. Orphans and neglected children should be taken care of by
the state. An independent institution should be set up to manage
these activities. The management of this institution should in no
way be related to the President, his family/relatives, high-
ranking government/military officials or their
families/relatives. Reports of the institution's activities
should be audited by an independent institution and announced
publicly.
10. Punishing properly private companies involved in
smuggling/tax evasion.
M.E. SOFYAN
Jakarta