With the Trump administration unceremoniously fired, purges on-going, popular resistance executing a ‘bud light putsch‘ by ‘insurgents’, and the far left Antifa rampaging through the cities in what is known within far-left extremists as the ‘summer of love’ the new U.S. administration is business as usual.
Despite the grand announcement by Biden, very little will change, as many of the incoming officials are warmed over bodies from Clintonian and Obama administration. But hate Trump or love him as the now former president is again citizen Trump, the progressive U.S. policies policies will return. For Indonesians nothing will change.
Poverty, unemployment and corruption reached concerning levels with unrest brewing. Just listening to the men on the street, corruption, unemployment are on the top of the list of concerns. Foreign investment into Indonesia remains sketchy at best with COVID-19 redrawing the social, political and economic life.
‘The fundamental elements of an effective society and sustainable future is based on the rule of rule-based laws. Indonesia remains despite the tremendous opportunity deeply concerning about society, and the every governments since the overthrow of the Suharto regime, incapable in tackling corruption’, said a long term expatriate resident.
‘The Indonesian elites have no incentives to change the culture of corruption. Anyone who can, leaves.’ she said. The countries brain drainage of talented youth leave the country as the outlook are uncertain.
Experts agree. Indonesia’s wealth, culture, and opportunities should propel the country in the top economic spheres in the region. Instead, deep rooted corruption in particularly with the police and judiciary hampered any credible sustainable trust in the country. The economy repeatedly misses performance, budgetary and trade goals.
‘Excuses abound but the core problem remains corruption’, said a Jakarta based economist. The 2020 Gallup survey polling the annual mood in the country said that eight out of ten (!) Indonesians were last year experienced corruption with officials. Top of the list are the police and judicial bodies. The anti corruption commission, locally called the KPK, is poorly perceived in the public.
Experts, lawyers and the public view the KPK under Jokowi was rendered ineffective and years of making progress in battling corruption has not improved the situation in the country. A anti-corruption task force, like the counter terror unit proposed by the former chief of police now minister of interior with presidential ambitions was shot down by powerful actors.
‘The KPK is clearly not effective’, a lawyer for the British business community said, ‘a unit like the Untouchables in Chicago is long overdue and desperately wanted by the public’. But he added it would take considerable courage by anyone in Indonesia to take on powerful police officials, judges or other corrupters, he added.
