Day in day out, week in week out The Jakarta Post details more and more information about the state of corruption at all levels of Indonesian politics, the police, the judiciary, the civil service and big business involved in government projects.
Round and round the issue goes amid a flurry of verbose rhetoric, and empty promises. I think the Post’s observation that the public are obviously fed up with the lack of will to do anything about it is on track and that the public appear to be working independently to bring about reform because the government is incapable and unwilling to do so.
If this is the case it indicates that the government is more and more out of touch with the public sentiment. It is also patently obvious that the institutions afore mentioned are those most involved in and affected by corruption and it is clearly not in their interests to do much or anything about it while they are at the receiving end of corruption’s largess.
Every politician from the President down, every judge, every police officer, everyone involved in the public administration of this country should ask themselves a straightforward and simple question. Why did I become President of Indonesia? Why did I become a judge or a lawyer? Why did I seek election to public office? Why did I become a police officer?
If the answer or the motive is — Because I wanted to accumulate wealth, — then this country is on a sure and downward path to poverty for most, perpetual social and cultural inequality, inter-religious strife fueled by political opportunism, and sooner or later, social upheaval.
The basis and backbone of every political system will always be economics. But that does not cancel out the real and only answer to the question I asked above. I did not become president, a judge, a politician, a police officer to make money.
Rather, I have done this to make life better for the family living by the riverbank or in the village or in the suburbs or in the posh neighborhood. To make laws more just. To protect the rights of every citizen and to make sure they know they have rights and responsibilities too.
Indonesia is not winning the fight against corruption because the country is in the hands of people who are distracted from the task they should be doing, which has nothing to do with making money.
Good things happen here by way of default, not intention. Progress here is a side effect or achieved by condescension and patronizing good will to curry favor and buy votes. Imagine what could be achieved if a whole-hearted effort was concentrated on doing the right and sensible thing. Unfortunately, that is too much to ask in Indonesia at present.
Phillip Turnbull
BSD City, Tangerang
