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Survey sees progress in graft fight

Indonesia scored better on this year's Corruption Perception Index (CPI), thanks mostly to an aggressive crackdown by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), an annual global survey revealed Tuesday

Abdul Khalik (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, September 24, 2008

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Survey sees progress in graft fight

Indonesia scored better on this year's Corruption Perception Index (CPI), thanks mostly to an aggressive crackdown by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), an annual global survey revealed Tuesday.

However, the survey by Transparency International still ranked Indonesia among the world's most corrupt nations, a batch of 71 countries rating below the critical score of three.

Of nine southeast Asian countries, Indonesia came in fifth, above the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, but below Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Denmark topped the list again this year with a score of 9.3, along with New Zealand and Sweden. The lowest score was 1.4, which went to Myanmar and Somalia.

Of the 180 countries in the survey, Indonesia ranked 126, with a CPI of 2.6, an improvement from the 2.3 it scored in the 2007 survey, which placed the country at 143 out of 180.

The CPI, which ranges from zero to 10, reflects public perception of a country's commitment to fight corruption on the part of government officials.

The index is defined as a perception by analysts and businesspeople about corruption levels in a country, especially in the public sector.

Todung Mulya Lubis, head of the organizing committee at Transparency International Indonesia (TII), said the significant increase in Indonesia's CPI showed that foreign business players and analysts were beginning to appreciate the country's efforts to fight corruption, especially recent achievements by the KPK.

"A series of arrests of high-level officials by the KPK has really boosted Indonesia's image," he said at the launch of the survey.

KPK chairman Antasari Azhar, who also spoke at the event, said although the improvement in the CPI did not necessarily reflect real improvement in corruption eradication, the survey showed that Indonesia was regaining the trust of businesspeople.

"I agree that the improved perception will have an impact on the business climate. For the KPK, we will try to balance between arrests and prevention to get more progress in eradicating corruption," he said.

Besides the KPK's achievements, the CPI also improved on the back of local administrations' moves to help fight corruption and practice good governance in their respective regions, including Surabaya in East Java, Sragen in Central Java, Jembrana in Bali and Musi Banyuasin in South Sumatra, said the TII.

Another speaker, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, warned the KPK's targets were only "the tip of the iceberg of collective and rampant corrupt practices" in the country.

"Besides preventive actions by the KPK, we must eradicate our culture of respecting people based on their wealth. From now on, we must denounce wealth accumulated through the practice of corruption," he said.

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