JOGJAKARTA (KU) – Corruption practices will be difficult to eradicate in Indonesia when the structural and cultural conditions are still permissive on the practice. In addition, the law enforcement process for perpetrators of corruption is also still not running as it should. That opinion was delivered by a political observer of UGM, Dr. Abdul Gaffar Karim, in a discussion at the UGM library. The discussion was guided by member of Fortakgama UGM, M. Adhisupo. It also presented a UGM psychologist, Hariyanto, M. Si.
Gaffar said that the current cultural environment encourages people to commit corruption. Employees or officials are considered successful if they can accumulate more wealth. Other people don’t care where the money is obtained from. "People today would ask how many cars and houses you have," Gaffar exemplified.
The relatively small salary of employees encourages them to corrupt, starting from markups to fictitious honorariums. Unlike in the developed countries, he added, the larger payroll to employees causes employees not to think to look for additional money. Gaffar gave an example, in Australia, a researcher can get paid for 75% percent of research funds. It is because in Australia, intellectual performance is paid higher. Meanwhile in Indonesia, intellectual performance is paid smaller than that for purchase of equipment.
Gaffar does not agree if the corruption is common in developing countries. He was referring to Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam that have been able to suppress corruption practices.
Drs. Hariyanto M.Si said that corruption could be eradicated starting from individual by not allowing corruption practices in the work environment. "I have to start from myself, from small things, and start from now," Sentot said, as he is familiarly called.
Sentot explained that those who commit corruption generally have multiple personalities (split personality). Despite their corruption practices, they also continue to worship in accordance with their own religion and belief.