In one nation鈥檚 battle with corruption, more than an ounce of prevention
Last year, Indonesia began a new training for 100 officials in charge of fishing ports. Over three days, they were taught to be 鈥渁gents of change in integrity.鈥� The goal: to curb illegal fish poaching in the world鈥檚 largest archipelago nation. 鈥淧rinciples of good governance must be created,鈥� explained a government organizer.
The course on integrity reflects an ongoing shift in a country known for high levels of corruption: Focus more on reinforcing virtues such as honesty and accountability than on trying to capture and punish corrupt actors.
鈥淐orruption eradication should address the root of the problem,鈥� said President Joko 鈥淛okowi鈥� Widodo in December. 鈥淧revention is a more fundamental way.鈥�
Upon taking office in 2014, Jokowi called for a 鈥渕ental revolution鈥� against corruption in the world鈥檚 third-largest democracy. 鈥淧ropriety must be instilled in the culture,鈥� he said, individual by individual. He asked religious figures, cultural celebrities, educators, and community leaders to help.
While he still supports punitive approaches to corruption, conducted mainly by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the attorney general, those efforts have proved frustrating. In 2019, for example, the legislature clipped the wings of the KPK on use of surveillance techniques. The agency also had its own scandals. The president himself advised against relying so much on high-profile arrests.
Indonesia now receives financial support for anti-graft efforts from the Biden administration, which has put combating corruption as central to its foreign policy. Last November, the United States gave $23.6 million to the Southeast Asian nation to increase 鈥減ublic demand for accountability鈥� and advance 鈥減reventative measures against corrupt practices.鈥�
In January, Indonesia received a bit of good news that might help back the president鈥檚 priority on prevention. Its global ranking on Transparency International鈥檚 Corruption Perception Index improved. Indonesia rose from 102 to 96 out of 180 countries.
In government and many big businesses in Indonesia, various programs now aim to strengthen individuals in making decisions with integrity and ethics. The president鈥檚 鈥渕ental revolution,鈥� in other words, won鈥檛 be on the streets or in the courtrooms. Or as Mahmuddin, the principal of an anti-corruption training school in Aceh province told the Sydney Morning Herald: 鈥淲e can at least start with ourselves.鈥�
