a bule's perspective: kiwis, sheep, geckos and corruption

Transparency International announced yesterday that New Zealand is the least corrupt country in the world. The same old "sheep jokes", a reference to the fact that there are 47 million sheep but only 4 million people. 

As usual -- sheep jokes are pretty common, particularly from Australians -- I responded in good humour to these comments. But this time I found it hard to keep my smile. Why? Because being the least corrupt country on earth is a bloody awesome achievement! It didn't happen by accident. It happened because New Zealanders made it happen.

Given that so many Indonesians are sick and tired of the corruption that plagues -- no, cripples -- this country, I thought it might be helpful if I listed the reasons why I think New Zealand is so clean:
  • government officials are well paid -- they don't need to look for other sources of income
  • government officials are not paid too much -- which means that government positions are not "favours" to be bought and sold to political allies
  • government officials cannot personally profit from their positions -- there are very strict rules that prevent government officials and their families from doing business with the government
  • the government is transparent -- everything is disclosed to the public, and anyone can get information, particularly about government spending
  • all branches of government are independent -- parliament (the legislature), the cabinet (the executive) and particularly the courts each make sure that the others don't break the law or do anything improper 
  • the law is respected -- everyone is expected to obey the law, no exceptions
  • police and judges are respectable and respected -- along with nurses and firemen, police and judges are the most respected professions in New Zealand 
  • New Zealanders hold the government accountable -- either through the press, independent institutions or via elections
None of this is particularly special to New Zealand. Australia's system is almost identical. 

But the single most important reason why New Zealand is the least corrupt country in the world? Because in the national psyche, corruption is a hideous crime. 

Corruption is stealing. When you steal from the government, you are stealing tax money paid by other New Zealanders. You are stealing from nurses, firemen, police, judges, teachers, school children, posties, garbage collectors, the sick, poor --- everyone who receives a benefit or pay from the government. 

Only when Indonesians start thinking of corruption in similar terms will we see real change. Or has it already happened?
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Filed under  //   corruption   indonesia   new zealand  

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a bule perspective: traitors, conspirators, and why i STILL love indonesia

This is not a question of intervention or non-intervention. It is about the responsibility of the president as head of state
via thejakartaglobe.com

It is hard to believe that only two weeks have passed since the President addressed the nation. He told us in earnest that he could not interfere in the KPK crisis because, in his words, the justice system "will be ripped apart."

That is no longer an issue. In less than a week, the Attorney-General and Police chief have by themselves destroyed what little trust and confidence the public held in the two institutions. The justice system has been badly crippled, if not mortally wounded.

These men have revolted Indonesians with their arrogance. They have discredited the hundreds of thousands of men and women that work for them. It is disgusting to think that the replacement for General Sutanto -- who was praised internationally -- -- could so quickly damage the Indonesian National Police.

Who was not sickened by the Attorney-General as he whined like some Old Testament snake. "I didn't want this job," he cried, "but it is God's will."

God's will? That drivel only works on peasants.

The prophecy has come true. The justice system is in disarray. As the Attorney-General and Police chief did their best to bury the justice system in filth, the Constitutional Court worked overtime to save it. The unimaginable became reality as the nation's top judges took the President head on.

At first martyrs, the victims of this Greek tragedy, Bibit and Chandra, have become national heroes.

But the biggest heroes are the people of Indonesia, for their unwavering call for an end to this debacle.

"Save our beloved KPK," they demanded, echoing the war cry of the 1,2 million strong Facebook group, Gerakan 1 juta Facebookers Dukung Chandra Hamzah dan Bibit Samad Riyanto.

The Indonesian people don't care about the integrity of the justice system or political protocol. "Just do it!" they demand.

Stand tall, my friends. There is as least once crotchety Pondok Indah expat who thinks you're just great.

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Filed under  //   corruption   kpk   police   president  

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the conspiracy (diagram 2)

(download)

I have done a very simple diagram to show who are the (alleged) main conspirators and what their motives might be. Of course, this is all theory and there is absolutely no proof. However, as the Attorney-General would say, there is solid proof that leads us to believe that there was a conspiracy. The Jakarta Post has some diagrams here.

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Filed under  //   corruption   kpk   police  

Comments [3]

why haven't the police arrested anggodo?

[The only] evidence that police were able to provide was the disbursement of money from Anggodo to Ary Muladi
via thejakartaglobe.com

The Presidential team has confirmed that Anggodo Widjojo attempted or conspired to bribe public officials, Bibit and Chandra. In other words, Anggodo has committed a number of crimes. So why is he still at large? Why haven't the Police arrested him? Come on!

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Filed under  //   corruption   kpk   police  

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combatting corruption: TNI leads by example

We originally planned to increase the salary of TNI soldiers in 2011, but we will try to speed up the plan to 2010
via thejakartapost.com

The Defence Minister's decision to fast-track salary increases for TNI soldiers is controversial, but also very wise.

The government has almost completed a vigorous process of stripping the TNI of its many business interests built up during the Suharto regime. These businesses helped make a lot of TNI generals very rich. But they also supplemented the meagre salaries of rank-and-file soldiers.

The government's decision to increase the salaries of TNI soldiers --- and not officers --- is a smart move. The TNI is run like a multi-national corporation, with hundreds of thousands of lowly soldiers dependent on rich and powerful generals.

Steps like this will loosen the grip of Suharto-era generals, leaving them to wilt away in their Pondok Indah mausoleums.

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Filed under  //   corruption   government   TNI  

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break the cycle: how corruption starts

The Yogyakarta governor has set the 2010 minimum wage for workers at Rp 745,694 per month... [which is] 90 percent of the average fair living cost for people in the province.

via thejakartapost.com

Is this decision so dodgy that it should be investigated by the KPK? Why would the governor set the minimum wage so low? Is he just stupid, or is someone else pulling the (purse) strings?

It's probably neither. My guess is that the governor has his eyes on the budget, and whether he can afford and the impact of increasing locally government wages.

The problem is, if government employees are not paid enough money, they will look elsewhere. This is how corruption starts.

Minister Sri Mulyani understands this. She replacing the Finance Ministry's ridiculous rank-based pay system, with a performance-based pay system. The better you do, the more money you make.

We must break the cycle.

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Filed under  //   corruption   minimum wage  

Comments [5]

crocodile tears from susno

As a Muslim, God knows I never received [a bribe] from anyone
via thejakartaglobe.com

There are some really dirty people involved in this affair. But this is Indonesia, and we must be very careful about what we say. Never smile at a crocodile, isn't that what they say?

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Filed under  //   corruption   kpk   police  

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a bule perspective: the president's no-so-quick and completely inadequate response

Wow! Another crazy day. More frenzied developments. More confusion, more conjecture, more... of the same? Here's my take on what has happened over the past couple of days.

Last week the Police did the unthinkable and arrested KPK commissioners Bibit and Chandra

Why? This seems like the most stupid thing the Police could do, right? Before I answer that, let's keep in mind that this whole case is being driven by one or two very high-ranking people. They are basically using the Police force to serve their own nefarious ends. They don't care about the impact this has on the Police's credibility. They don't care about the low-ranking Police officers who are abused by the public as a result. 

So why did the Police decide to do this now? My guess is that the President told them to. On Wednesday last week, the Constitutional Court ordered that the President's PERPPU -- a Presidential order in lieu of law -- is faulty. The President does not have the authority to dismiss Bibit and Chandra until they are tried and convicted. This is extremely embarrassing for the President. 

This makes things very complex for the President, because now he has an interest in the outcome of the Police prosecution. If the Police get their conviction, then his PERPPU is safe. The President can fire the commissioners. If the Police fail, then the President's enemies --- of which there are many --- will launch an attack like nothing he has seen before. The President could be impeached. This would be very embarrassing for the President because we would all learn about the full extent of his involvement. My guess is that the President does not have clean hands. He must be worried...

What about this tape-recording?

I think this is the other reason the Police arrested Bibit and Chandra. They need to get the trial started before the Bibit and Chandra launch their counter-attack. The tape-recording is the corner-stone of Bibit and Chandra's counter-attack. It supposedly proves that very high-ranking officials at the Attorney-General's Office and the Police plotted the downfall of Bibit and Chandra, by fabricating evidence of bribes.

It looks like this counter-attack has been very well planned. Today the Constitutional Court will listen to the tape-recording. My guess is that the KPK has asked the Constitutional Court to issue an order saying that the KPK acted within its authority by wire-tapping the conversations. This is a very clever strategy, because one of the people recorded, the very evil-looking Anggodo Widjojo, has subsequently filed a complaint with the Police. His complaint? The KPK abused their authority by recording his conversations without authority. 

The support of the Constitutional Court is very important, because when it comes to the KPK crisis, it has higher authority than the Police and the President. 

A nice side-effect is that neither the Police nor the President can get their hands on the tape-recording until the Constitutional Court has finished with it, by which time it will be too late.

But hasn't the President stepped in to help the KPK?

In a word, no. Yesterday he set up a special tribunal that will look at what evidence the Police have against Bibit and Chandra. But it's not clear what this actually means. The special tribunal does not have any authority over the Police or the Attorney-General's Office. It has the authority to make recommendations. But I am not sure what it could possibly recommend that we don't already know. 

Ironically, he claims he acted swiftly by appointing the special tribunal. Why is this ironic? Because I wouldn't be surprised if he is ultimately responsible for the arrest -- however indirect his involvement might be.

What will happen next?

That is a good question. My guess is that the Police charges against Bibit and Chandra will become secondary and superseded by Bibit and Chandra's counter-attack in the Constitutional Court:
  • Bibit and Chandra --- and possibly the KPK --- will ask the Constitutional Court to decide whether they have "abused their authority" by issuing travel bans.
  • The Constitutional Court will decide that they have not "abused their authority" --- this is almost a given.
  • Bibit and Chandra will ask the Constitutional Court to determine whether the Police have abused their authority. 
  • My guess is that the Constitutional Court will decide "yes".
  • Heads will roll at the Attorney-General's Office, the Police chief will be forced to resign and several high-ranking Police and government officials will be charged with corruption.
  • The DPR will try to impeach the President.
That's my prediction --- or is it a wish?

You can find the Facebook page supporting the KPK commissioners here. If you would like to read more about this, you should have a look at Rob Baiton's blog. Here is a link to his "KPK" posts. Also check out Tree's blog, for a very detailed look at specific issues. You might also be interested in the following posts:
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Filed under  //   corruption   kpk   police   president   SBY  

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a bule perspective: how quickly indonesians outgrew their president

This is the second part of my take on the KPK crisis. The first part, The KPK, News Media and Why I Still Love Indonesia, can be read here.

Last night I had dinner with a very important man. He is on the board of one of Indonesia's largest and most successful companies. Not that you would know it from looking at him. Unlike the many so-called dignitaries that populate our government, my friend does not draw attention to himself. 

In his role, my friend has met many of the people that make the news. He also has a wealth of knowledge about what goes on behind the scenes. These dinners are always wonderful for me because I get to ask him to explain things in the news to me. 

For example, he knows all about disgraced Bank Indonesia governor Miranda and explained to me why, with so much bribery and corruption going on around her, no-one has any evidence against her. If you think about it, it is extremely unlikely that she knew nothing about the bribes paid to DPR legislators in return for their votes when she was elected to the Bank of Indonesia board. Yet, there she was in the paper yesterday grinning like the Cheshire Cat claiming that she knew nothing about it.

Last night's dinner conversation was dominated by the Police arrest of KPK commissioners Bibit and Chandra and why the President hasn't done anything.;

Like many people, my friend thinks that SBY's hands are not entirely clean. SBY screwed up. From the outset he said that he would not get involved. He would not interfere, but this was a lie.

He interfered big time when he issued his Presidential law --- the PERPPU --- firing the two commissioners and giving him the authority to appoint his own commissioners. The Constitutional Court has subsequently issued a decision effectively canceling the PERPPU. How embarrassing for the President!

But it wasn't until Thursday that the President really showed his true colours. If you haven't been following the taping incident, then here's a summary of what happened:

  • A couple of weeks ago, the defence team for the KPK commissioners revealed that there is a tape-recording of a conversation that proves that high-powered people in the Police has been plotting the downfall of the KPK commissioners.
  • On the tape recording a man believed to be Anggodo Widjojo (brother of Anggoro Widjojo, a corruption suspect who is in hiding in Singapore -- the one that the KPK issued a travel ban against).
  • There are other high ranking officials on the tape, including an AGO official.
  • It is fairly clear that the conversation was recorded without anyone's knowledge or permission.
  • In the taped discussion, they discuss plans to set up the KPK commissioners by implicating them in taking bribes from Anggoro.
  • The President's name is mentioned in the conversation.

Taping a conversation without permission is quite a serious matter. Generally it means that the tape recording cannot be used as evidence in criminal proceedings. But the KPK has special powers to use wire-tapping. This seems like a perfect example of where the wire-tapping was legal and within the KPK's authority.

On Wednesday, the President ordered the Police to investigate the matter. But before you get excited, he ordered the Police to investigate the use of his name, which is a very minor matter compared to the actual subject matter of the recording, the conspiracy against the KPK.

On Thursday, he told reporters that he is "awfully hurt" by the use of his name (which is actually an offence).

Yesterday, things turned surreal and Anggodo Widjojo filed an "abuse of power" complaint against the KPK commissioners for taping the conversation. What?! I hear you say. Yes, you heard right. This extremely dodgy character has filed a complaint against the KPK for taping the conversation. Shouldn't the Police be investigating him?!

Yesterday, the President showed his true colours and told reporters that the Police were "within their rights" to arrest Bibit and Chandra.

I'm confused. Every single legal expert in this country believes that the Police have over-stepped the line and are acting without authority. The head of the Constitutional Court has gone as far to say that the Police have no authority over the KPK. If the KPK commissioners have done something wrong then it should be sorted out in the Administrative Court. Can someone please explain to me why the President disagrees with every single legal expert there is?

What is happening here? It's actually quite simple. Indonesians have outgrown their President. They want and expect much more from the President. Indonesians want an end to corruption. They want responsible and effective government. They want a functioning government. The problem is that the President --- the man we're all counting on --- isn't able to provide the people what they want.

As awful as it sounds, it is wonderful to experience as an outsider how rapidly Indonesia has transformed. It probably wouldn't have happened quite so quickly without this crisis. In a way, Bibit and Chandra are national heroes.

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Filed under  //   corruption   kpk   police   president   sby   wiretapping  

Comments [14]

good luck with round #2, mr president

the ongoing level of corruption in the government and the unwieldy bureaucracy, widespread social failures, environmental problems and the failure to rein in the Armed Forces, among other things, will be what most remember the outgoing cabinet for.
via thejakartaglobe.com

A day or so ago, I blogged about a comment made by the deputy leader of the Demokrats. He said that to qualify for appointment as a Minister, you had to demonstrate an ability to be a 'pillar of society'.

I almost choked on my papaia when reading this. Pillar of society? Government ministers? I could only think of two who had actually done anything worthwhile -- both of them women!

The Jakarta Globe has done a great wrap up of the outgoing cabinet's failings -- a reminder of how the last government has let us all down. Here's hoping that SBY is paying attention, because the last time I looked, Indonesians are not happy.

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Filed under  //   cabinet   corruption   dpr   ministers  

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A hyper-opinionated bule with a deep fondness for Indonesia. Mildly outraged but mostly harmless.

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