CORRUPTION IN INDONESIA
corruption
is spiritual or moral impurity or deviation from an ideal. Corruption may
include many activities including bribery and embezzlement. Government, or 'political', corruption occurs when an
office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for
personal gain.
There
are two key areas in the public sector in which corruption in Indonesiacan
be found. These are the justice and civil service sectors. While hard data on
corruption is difficult to collect, corruption
in Indonesia is clearly seen
through public opinion, collated through surveys as well as
observation of how each system runs.[1] Corruption
within the justice sector is seen by its ineffectiveness to enforce laws,
failure to uphold justice, hence undermining the rule of law. The areas of
corruption within this sector include the police and the courts. In the 2008
Public Sector Integrity Survey, the Supreme Court ranked the lowest in
integrity in comparison to the other public services in Indonesia.[2] The
courts were viewed to make decisions unfairly and have high unofficial costs.
Evidence of corruption within the civil
service comes from surveys conducted within the sector. Some surveys found out
that almost half were found to have received bribes. Civil servants themselves
admit to corruption.
In January 2012, it was reported that
Indonesia has lost as much as Rp 2.13 trillion (US$238.6 million) to corruption
in 2011. A study conducted by Indonesia Corruption Watch, a non-profit
organization co-ordinated by Danang Widoyoko, said that embezzlement accounted
for most of the money lost and that “government investment was the sector most
prone to graft.”
Companies are concerned about red tape and
widespread extortion in the process of obtaining licences and permits, and they
often faced demand for irregular fees or concessions based on personal
relationships when obtaining government contracts. Companies have also reported
regular demand for cash payments and expectations for gifts and special
treatments by Indonesian officials.
Corruption is an important development challenge that poses economic and
social costs in Indonesia. Interference in public laws and policies for the
sake of personal or private gain has weakened the competitiveness of Indonesia.[5]
About one-quarter of ministries suffer from budgetary diversions in
Indonesia. Households spent approximately 1% while enterprises spent at least
5% of monthly company revenue on unofficial payments. Social costs due to
corruption in Indonesia include the weakening of government institutions and
the rule of law.[1] Increases
in crime due to smuggling and extortion involve the institutions that are supposed
to be protecting citizens. The people who suffer most are the poor[6] as
they are pressured to finance payments through their already tight budgets and
the effectiveness of social services are less accessible indirectly. These
concerns were voiced by the poor urban communities of Indonesia themselves in a
joint World Bank-Partnership for Governance Reform research project, entitled
“Corruption and the Poor”.
There have been some efforts to battle corruption with the creation of the
ombudsman and the Assets Auditing Commission (KPKPN). It has been an
important agenda and part of Indonesia's official reform program since May
1998. However, the efforts made are questionable as there has been limited success
to reduce corruption. Some obstacles that impeded the improvement of corruption
included political and economic constraints, and the complex nature of the
corruption itself.[9]
Most recently, these efforts have taken the shape of ordering corruption
convicts to pay back all the money they have stolen. On 6 March 2012, the
Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Ridwan Sanjaya, an official from the Energy
and Mineral Resources Ministry, to six years in prison for rigging a tender bid
for a home solar energy system project in 2009 worth IDR526 billion (US$57.86
million).
Ridwan was found guilty of accepting IDR14.6 billion in kickbacks,
resulting in IDR131 billion in state losses. The Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK) stated that it will use Ridwan’s verdict as material to
develop the investigation on the graft scandal involving the Solar Home System
project.1. What is meant by corruption ? corruption is
spiritual or moral impurity or deviation from an ideal. Corruption may include
many activities including bribery and embezzlement.
. Who is corrupt? Government, or 'political',
corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in
an official capacity for personal gain.
3. When corruption is done by criminals ?
January 2012, it was reported that Indonesia
has lost as much as Rp 2.13 trillion (US$238.6 million) to corruption in 2011.
4. Where corruption is done by criminals
? wherever or anywhere safe place for actors to engage in corruption
5.
Why Corruption is an important
development challenge that poses economic and social costs in Indonesia ?
Interference in public laws
and policies for the sake of personal or private gain has weakened the
competitiveness of Indonesia.
6. How
efforts to curb corruption ? There
have been some efforts to battle corruption with the creation of the ombudsman
and the Assets Auditing Commission from : Wikipedia
