Corruption - We're simply (almost) the best!

It was recently reported that the findings of an integrity survey conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in 30 public institutions and state companies between last August and October in Jakarta simply showed that Indonesia once again rises to the top of the turd heap with the government as one of the most corrupt in the world.

Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) last year ranked the Indonesian government 143rd out of 179 countries surveyed for its annual Corruption Perception Index with a score of 2.3 on a scale of one to 10, even lower than Vanuatu, Pakistan and the Philippines.

I am anxious to know who the other 36 countries are who got “better” scores.

The facts are amusing nonetheless, the survey ranked the civil service with the highest integrity, but it scored only 6.51 on a scale of zero to 10, while the worst institutions were the justice and human rights ministry with 4.15 and the land transportation administration (road worthiness certification) with 3.45.

No big surprises there methinks.

The KPK integrity index further confirmed the findings of similar surveys conducted by other national institutions such as the Economic and Social Research Institute of the University of Indonesia which ranked the National Police, customs service, tax office, justice sector (court) as the most corrupt public institutions.

The KPK survey, discovered that the majority of the 3,611 respondents considered rewards for public officials acceptable, and that 20 percent of them admitted offering tips, gifts and rewards, with the highest reward by a respondent recorded at Rp 150 million (US$16,500)

A case in point, (maybe I should not be printing this) is that of an Expat who foolishly indulged in a narcotics “game” and, through a Keystone Cop-like comedy of errors got busted. This stupid bastard, knowing the risks decided to choose Class A drugs to have brought into the country, only to have the couriers stopped at the airport along with his name and address as the "deliver too" instructions.

Banged up, facing the death penalty and no doubt feeling contrite, the gentleman in question did as any other in his situation would – negotiate!

Word is that he will do a two year spell of incarceration, the cost of which is an astonishingly light 10 million rupiah (US$ 1,100) and the promise of a job in the Oil Industry to the officer in charge of the “fixing”. I don’t see a problem with the money but I don’t see how the Oil job can be “pulled off”

Hurrah for Indonesia, don’t let the side down, you have a reputation to maintain!