R

aymond Prasetya, a 24-year old employee at a Japanese company, was driving alone on Jl. Pasteur in Bandung, West Java, during one weekend last year when he saw a traffic light go from green to yellow.

Thinking that he would be able to speed through the intersection, he went full throttle. Unfortunately for him, the light turned red before he was able to make it past the intersection. Right after that, a police officer stopped his vehicle and there ensued the following conversation.

'€œI saw you pass the red light, show me your driver'€™s license,'€ the officer asked. '€œWell, I'€™m sorry but you have to go to the court. However, I can help you if you pay Rp 50,000 (US$5).'€

Faced with the opportunity to bribe his way past the law, Raymond decided to pay the officer. '€œI'€™d rather pay him than have to go through a trial that would waste my time,'€ he said.

Such a scene is the norm in Indonesia, which comfortably sat at 118th from 174 countries in the 2012 Corruption Perception Index, according to a recent survey called '€œYouth Integrity Survey'€ by Transparency International Indonesia (TII).

The survey, conducted from July to Dec. 2012 with 2,000 respondents aged 15 '€” 30 in Jakarta, found that corrupt practices are still rampant among Indonesian youth.

Some 50 percent of the respondents said that it was okay to lie or cheat during a difficult situation involving themselves or their families. '€œWhen they are in a gray area, there is a tendency for them to be unethical,'€ said Lia Toriana, a research coordinator at TII, during a press conference in Central Jakarta on Thursday.

Raymond confirmed the survey'€™s finding, saying that bribing a police officer to avoid a ticket was just a way for him to buy time with money. '€œWe have to differentiate between major graft practices, which could lead to massive state losses and the little ones that could benefit me and not harm anyone else,'€ he said.

According to the survey, 30 percent believed that breaking the law was a display of solidarity when it was meant to support families and friends in need, while 20 percent said that they would engage in corrupt practices if they involved only a small amount of money.

The survey also showed that 22 percent of the correspondents tolerate corrupt practices, despite major antigraft campaigns launched by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the mass media in the past few years.

According to the study, youngsters were most likely to be involved in corrupt practices when they wanted to avoid police tickets, with 47 percent saying that they had bribed police officers in the past, followed by 20 percent who said that they paid extra money in order to get past the country'€™s red tape and obtain official documents or permits.

Other common corrupt practices among the youth were cheating to pass exams (11 percent), cheating to get jobs (9 percent) and bribing to get services (8 percent).

The survey, however, does not mean that there is a lack of awareness among the youth. The survey showed that 93 percent and 94 percent believed that corruption was harmful for themselves and state development respectively.

'€œTheir awareness, however, does not translate to their commitment to combat corruption,'€ Lia said.

According to the study, 47 percent of respondents said they would not report corruption to the authorities. Some of them (36 percent) said that it was not their business and some others (32 percent) argued that there was no use in doing that since the law enforcers were also corrupt.

Raymond is among those who doubt that reporting a corruption case would make a difference. '€œEven if I file a report, I'€™m not sure it will be followed up,'€ he said.

Following the survey, TII called on all stakeholders to improve youth understanding on the subject through education.

'€œWe have to strengthen education that instills virtue. The government, educational institutions and families play an important role in its realization,'€ Lia said.