Antikorupsi Indonesia – the struggle against corrupton
By
Milena Rampoldi and Denise Nanni, ProMosaik. The following is our latest interview with an organisation struggling
against corruption in Indonesia. In the past we have already spoken to
organisations in Cambodia about accountability and the struggle against
corruption in government which you can find on the following links:
Milena Rampoldi and Denise Nanni, ProMosaik. The following is our latest interview with an organisation struggling
against corruption in Indonesia. In the past we have already spoken to
organisations in Cambodia about accountability and the struggle against
corruption in government which you can find on the following links:
I would like to thank Adnan from Antikorupsi for the valuable information and photographs he sent us. Corruption is
not something we have to accept by becoming fatalist, but something in our lives that we have to strongly oppose.
not something we have to accept by becoming fatalist, but something in our lives that we have to strongly oppose.
How was ICW founded and in which
context?
context?
ICW was
established in 1998, a month after the fall of Suharto, the Indonesian
authoritarian president who had been in power for almost 32 years. He was
forced to resign from the administration mainly due to the student protest
movement which demanded political reform because under Suharto Indonesia was very corrupt; devoid of human rights; and undemocratic.
All these factors had led to economic crisis in 1998
so that
in a sense, ICW was born
out of the need to pursue the implementation of good and serious governance that would combat the
corruption which had been seen as a
major factor in the economic collapse.
established in 1998, a month after the fall of Suharto, the Indonesian
authoritarian president who had been in power for almost 32 years. He was
forced to resign from the administration mainly due to the student protest
movement which demanded political reform because under Suharto Indonesia was very corrupt; devoid of human rights; and undemocratic.
All these factors had led to economic crisis in 1998
so that
in a sense, ICW was born
out of the need to pursue the implementation of good and serious governance that would combat the
corruption which had been seen as a
major factor in the economic collapse.
What are the main forms of
corruption in Indonesia?
corruption in Indonesia?
Corruption inIndonesia had been transformed into a new model, especially if we look at the
transition from an authoritarian regime to more a democratic one. Under Suharto, there was a centralised corruption led by Suharto and his
family. He established economic cronyism with his cronies enjoying the economic benefits of his extremely corrupt policies. No one could question or refuse to
accept his decisions. He was originally a king, not a president as there was no
rule of law. Under Suharto, only a few people became very wealthy and the rest
languished in chronic poverty. That pattern of corruption has since changed
under democratic governance marked by the
decentralisation policy that was officially implemented in 2000. The
decentralisation policy has led to a more decentralised form of corruption which has
spread out to new regions where the local leaders enjoy new powers to
control economic resources such as local budgets, licenses, local taxes,
facilities, and other forms of economic benefits. Corruption in Indonesia
exists
at many levels and branches of government, whether it be in the executive, legislative,
judicature, or private sector.
Bribery is the main feature, followed by fraud in procurement projects, tax
fraud, money laundering, and other conventional forms of corruption.
Do you carry on awareness raising
activities? If yes, how has civil society been responsive so far?
activities? If yes, how has civil society been responsive so far?
Public awareness
campaigns
are probably one of the basic approaches for the eradication of
corruption. ICW also believes that public participation is a key factor for the
success an anti-corruption agenda. So that’s why ICW’s tagline is hand in hand with
people to fight against corruption. In order to raise the public awareness, ICW
has been using many channels such as mass media, ICW’s own media and social
media. Our main message is to explain the
direct impact of corruption on the daily lives of people, especially in
education and health services.
campaigns
are probably one of the basic approaches for the eradication of
corruption. ICW also believes that public participation is a key factor for the
success an anti-corruption agenda. So that’s why ICW’s tagline is hand in hand with
people to fight against corruption. In order to raise the public awareness, ICW
has been using many channels such as mass media, ICW’s own media and social
media. Our main message is to explain the
direct impact of corruption on the daily lives of people, especially in
education and health services.
Which strategies do you implement to
struggle against corruption in your country?
struggle against corruption in your country?
ICW has several strategies in fighting corruption. We
focus on reducing corruption by revealing
corruption cases; by investigating and publishing the
results so as to make the public at large
aware; and by reporting such cases to law
enforcement agencies. We also initiate public policy advocacy targeting new
regulations that favour the anti corruption agenda such as the establishment of
corruption eradication commission and its law, law of witness protection, law
of access to public information, law of anti money laundering, etc. We carry out
research to provide much stronger evidence for public policy advocacy in many
sectors, including mining, natural resources, taxes, national and local
budgets, etc. We also do capacity building targeting local NGOs in many aspects
such as the skill of investigation, skill of research, public fund raising,
etc.
focus on reducing corruption by revealing
corruption cases; by investigating and publishing the
results so as to make the public at large
aware; and by reporting such cases to law
enforcement agencies. We also initiate public policy advocacy targeting new
regulations that favour the anti corruption agenda such as the establishment of
corruption eradication commission and its law, law of witness protection, law
of access to public information, law of anti money laundering, etc. We carry out
research to provide much stronger evidence for public policy advocacy in many
sectors, including mining, natural resources, taxes, national and local
budgets, etc. We also do capacity building targeting local NGOs in many aspects
such as the skill of investigation, skill of research, public fund raising,
etc.
Do you cooperate with local
authorities and institutions? If yes, how?
authorities and institutions? If yes, how?
We call this “critical engagement.” We collaborate withgovernment agencies that that have the capacity for change from within. We can
only have such collaboration with leaders that ICW believes have a political
will to combat corruption. We assist them to produce internal strategies to
reduce corruption in public procurement, to report gratuities and gifts, assist
them to report the wealthy declaration, and provide them with a tool or
instrument that can be useful for the oversight of public policy
implementation.
