Detik.com
- January 21, 2009
Jakarta –
According to Transparency International Indonesia (TII), the Indonesian Ulama
Council (MUI) has become one of the institutions that most frequently accept bribes.
Most of this alleged bribery is related to management of halal (kosher,
permitted under Islam) certificates.
According to
TII Research and Policy Manager Frenky Simanjuntak, out of the 171 respondents
that were interviewed from food and cosmetic companies, as many as 10 percent
admitted to being asked for money in relation to their businesses.
“So it is
closely linked to how companies submit halal certificates”, he said
during a press conference at the Kartini Public Hall on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South
Jakarta on Wednesday January 21.
The survey
was conducted between September and December 2008 in 50 cities comprising 33
provincial capitals with an additional 17 major cities.
Simanjuntak
went on to explain that the initiative for this bribery originated from public
officials. Like it or not, businesspeople sometimes have to go along with these
demands. “Nevertheless this is still categorised as bribery”, asserted
Simanjuntak.
Nevertheless,
Simanjuntak said he did not know if the results of the survey could be pursued
by the relevant authorities. In his view, the survey simply serves as a
reference. “Going in that direction (an investigation), that’s beyond the
authority of the survey results”, he concluded. (mok/iy)
Notes:
The
ultra-conservative Indonesian Ulama Council or Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), a
council of Islamic religious leaders that functions as the National Islamic Law
Deliberation Board, portrays itself as the “moral guardian” of the country and
advocates the enactment of Sharia or Islamic based laws a way of eradicating
the rampant corruption that pervades all levels of Indonesian society.
[Translated
by James Balowski.]
