Who is to blame for the culture of corruption in Indonesia?

Who is to blame for the culture of corruption in Indonesia?

My mother-in-law was holding up some fine lace fabric and a
beautiful sarong when my husband and I visited her last week as
part of our obligation after recently getting married.

The materials, apparently, were from the neighbor, a Navy
General's wife, whose daughter was getting married in the near
future.

For the wedding reception, the General wanted all of his
closest neighbors to wear something nice and so he gave them some
high-quality fabric to be made into matching dresses -- a bit too
much like military conformity for my tastes.

Jokes then poured in, which were basically about how a Navy
general, whose monthly salary should be no higher than Rp 5
million, can afford such a lavish wedding reception (in a grand
ballroom at a fancy hotel with over 1,000 guests).

Our gossip extended to the General's obvious wealth: A house
worth approximately Rp 1 billion, an apartment worth Rp 500
million nearby, fancy cars and a foreign education for his kids.

How on earth can a military man afford all of the luxury, we
smirked, and then mentioned the "C" word to answer our own
question.

At one point, however, I began getting really tired of such
talk, which we, regular folks -- who are allegedly free from
corruption -- discuss almost daily.

We complain about the entrenched corruption, collusion and
nepotism in the country. We whine about how those things are the
source of all the bad things that have happened in the country,
and then blast the government for doing nothing to fix the
situation.

I think that, one way or another, we also are responsible for
the omnipresent and ongoing corruption in the country. We are all
guilty of merely complaining, but never taking any action to stop
it.

My mother-in-law gossiped away about the General, but still
she accepted the lace finery without objection. Perhaps if she
and the other neighbors refused to accept such gifts, or at least
publicly shamed the family about the lavish party or any other
ostentatious display of their wealth, they might feel embarrassed
about it.

Then again, maybe they would not be embarrassed, but perhaps
they would not be flaunting it in everybody's face so much.

I, too, admit guilt for my contribution in keeping corruption
alive and well in this country.

I cut corners and pay scalpers to renew my ID card and driving
license, or to buy concert tickets. I also bribed a public
official to get my passport done quickly.

I have been itching to ask my cousin, who is the same age as
I, about how he has been able to afford to buy a house in the
middle of the city and a nice car -- on his civil servant salary.

But I have kept my mouth shut ever since that same cousin gave
us a very large wad of cash as a wedding gift.

Worse still is when it comes to our parents' wealth, which
none of us have ever dared to question, as we enjoy the
comfortable lifestyle it affords.

I have never heard children of military officers, civil
servants, diplomats or state-owned company employees -- the jobs
said to be most prone to corruption -- refuse all the luxuries
their parents provide them with.

So, the next time we want to complain about corruption, or
shame people who are obviously involved in and/or benefiting from
it, I think most of us need to look in the mirror first.
Otherwise, it is best to just shut up because we are all guilty
of seeing it, but doing nothing about it. -- Indira Husin