Editorial: Anti-corruption rocks

Fri, 03/28/2008 1:39 AM  |  Opinion

Corruption and rock bands are an odd combination, but it's exactly this that made the anti-corruption message stronger when popular band Slank sang anti-graft songs in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) earlier this week.

The performance itself was a short one at thirty minutes, and attended only by slightly more than one hundred "Slankers", the band's fans, but it received wide publicity.

Slank, which commands a strong following of Slankers across the country, deserves the publicity as it lends rare open support to our lonely anti-corruption institution.

The KPK has becomes a lonely institution as its partner in fighting corruption, the Attorney General's Office (AGO), is suffering from a crisis of confidence following the arrest of one of its top prosecutors, by the KPK, for taking a bribe.

Thus, the performance by Slank -- joined also by old-time singer Kris Biantoro -- in front of the KPK office last Monday gives a moral boost to the KPK to continue its lone fight against corruptors.

More than that, the performance at the KPK reopens and strengthens a new front in fighting corruption, i.e. through music.

From time to time, there are musicians who go against the current and write and sing critical songs against corrupt governments of the day. One of them is Iwan Fals.

But we need more than just Iwan Fals, Slank and Kris Biantoro. More and more musicians joining the anti-corruption campaign would make it even merrier.

In fact, to make it more effective, we need to expand this movement to cover other cultural means outside music, such as movies, TV sinetrons, theaters and even computer games. Only then will we be able to instigate a cultural movement against corruption.

Corruption in this country is like a cancer which has spread all over our body, and it's almost a mission-impossible to cure it with our regular means of fighting through legal prosecution.

We know from our past experiences, and also the recent arrest of one of the AGO's own, that our law enforcement bodies are among the most corrupt institutions.

When they are corrupt themselves, we cannot expect them to clean our government, our bureaucracy or our businesses from corruption.

A strong cultural movement against corruption could provide the hope that we can cure our corruption cancer.

Building a strong cultural movement, however, is not an easy task for a country where convicted corruptors are often treated like heroes when they get out of jails.

Many parties are still reluctant to express their support for the anti-corruption movement. Even religious groups and leaders, who are supposed to command moral authority, are not out there at the forefront.

Yes, we sometimes hear leaders of big religious organizations express their condemnation of corruption, but they never initiate a movement against corruption. In fact, there are talks that some of these organizations receive donations from corruptors.

We cannot expect much from these mainstream institutions and leaders to free our country from corruption.

But we must not lose hope. There are people with integrity, who are concerned with corruption and scattered around in many sectors and in many professions, in this country.

Some universities and schools have taught corruption as a subject; there are non-governmental organizations which genuinely fight against corruption. And, of course, there are Slank and others.

What we need is to encourage these people and groups to continue working in their areas to fight against this chronic problem of corruption.

All these efforts, although scattered, if persistently pursued, will eventually create a cultural movement against corruption.

With consistent effort, this movement will eventually snowball, especially among our younger generations who are fed up with the current rampant corrupt practices.

With a movement on the way, it would at the same time give a moral boost to our law enforcement agencies to work harder in their prosecution of corruptors. Without this movement, these law enforcers will continue to remain corrupt.

We need a complete round-up movement to fight corruption, from the legal means and the cultural means. It seems a distant dream, but Slank gives the impression that this distant dream is closer now.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.