A glimpse of hope for clean government

The government has announced move to crack down on rampant illegal levies and smuggling which have not been touched by the Corruption Eradication Commissions (KPK).

KPK with its Caught Red Handed Operation (OTT), has targeted mainly big fishes.

Illegal levies mostly involve lower ranking civil servants committing petty crimes but rife found almost in all government institutions including the law enforcement agencies.

The move, called Anti Illegal Levies and Smuggling (OPP) has been announced by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) himself to be carried out by police.

"Stop what is called illegal levies especially ones related to public services," the President said on Tuesday at the Transport Ministry just after police caught a number of civil servants charged with illegal levies at the office of the Sea Transport Directorate General.

The arrest of the small fishes at the Sea Transport Directorate on Tuesday was expected to serve as a shock therapy, a message to those committing similar sins at other government agencies.

It is not the first time the government launched such move to root out illegal levies in government offices as well as in the streets, but ailing society could not be healed with a single shock therapy.

In no time the social ills emerged again immediately after the law enforcement began to lose focus or turn away to other targets. Worse still when the law enforcement officers themselves are involved in illegal levies.

Illegal levies are especially rife in the Sea Transport Directorate General, as an agency to issue 152 different kinds of license related to business in the marine sector such as license for the tonnage of boats.

For each license, the business owners have to pay a certain fee, otherwise, they have to go through the red tape wasting their precious time.

Police Chief General Tito Karnavian, who accompanied the president in the impromptu inspection, said police confiscated Rp95 million in cash and six bank account books with total balance of Rp1.2 billion and ran six suspects to the police office for investigations.

Illegal levies have been a practice going on for many years that people considered it normal, no longer illegal. 

The same was to be found in many other government agencies even in police office. One has to pay extra for driving license at the police office. City transport companies have to pay for route license. 

Nothing is free in Indonesia. You have to pay for identity card at Kelurahan, the lowest level of government administration. You have to slip some bank notes in order to get identification papers if you want to move from one area to another in the city or other city, otherwise you may have to wait for hours or even days for such simple documents. With money as lubricant, you would be surprised by the fast service done.

Hopefully, this time it is better under the hard working president who has proved himself to be serious in carrying out his job.

A few months earlier the president made an impromptu inspection visit to the Tandjung Priok port, where kickbacks are common.

He was supposed to inspect preparations by the port for the return of Muslims from their home villages to celebrate Idul Fitri, but suddenly the president walked to the port administration office to check port documents how incoming and outgoing container ships had been handled, to see why dwelling time at the countrys largest port is much longer than in other ports such as Singapore.

In Singapore, a ship needs only a day to wait before it could leave the ports, saving a lot of time and money in fee.

Jokowi wanted to cut the dwelling time at Tanjung Priok to only two days from normally more than five days to make the port more competitive.

Longer time for unloading would not only means additional fee to be paid but would risk damage to the goods and delay in reaching the place of the importer.

There are various type of illegal levies such in the form of bribe, paid by one to be accepted as new employee at government offices or to get promotion.

Even in the military, illegal levies are rife. Despite rebuttal from the military leaders, parents complained about high illegal payment to get their sons accepted at non commissioned officer school.

At public elementary and secondary high schools, low income parents often complained about obligatory voluntary fee the school children have to pay including in Jakarta where schooling is officially free.

The new OPP announced by the president would give a glimpse of hope in the fight against illegal levies and smuggling. No much success to be expected as it is not easy change the deep rooted habit of giving something for the service received. Even the most honest people in the country mo longer think it a crime although it is only a petty form of graft or briber.

Since taking office as President in Oct. 2014 Jokowi has called for a fight against all forms of corruption.

So far the people have read only report of KPK arresting corruption suspects, who most of them ended up in jail.

Many of the suspects were caught red handed . Most recent arrest of big fish by KPK was last month with target Irman Gusman, former chairman of the Regional Representative Council (DPD). Irman lost his prestigious position after he was named corruption suspect by KPK. He was dismissed by the honorary body of the DPD and is facing spending years in jail.

Other prominent Indonesian officials caught red handed by KPK included Akil Mochtar, former chairman of the Constitutional Court, now serving jail term for graft. 

Tens of others including cabinet ministers, governors, regents, prosecutors, judges , bunches of lawmakers and bankers have to spend years in jail for corruption or graft. 

Most people are satisfied with the performance of KPK but Jokowi apparently sees that KPK alone could not win the fight against a corrupt community.

Jokowi will have to rely on police, but police have been with us all the time but corruption has been worse than ever. Police have yet to do much to regain the public confidence. In many cases our problem is the police themselves. 

However, we need to have faith in General Tito Karnavian when he said the OPP would continue

Source: ANTARA