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Indonesian universities urged to play role in eradicating corruption

Values taught to young people can control spread of corruption
Indonesian universities urged to play role in eradicating corruption
Published: September 29, 2015 07:58 AM GMT
Updated: September 28, 2015 11:46 PM GMT

State-run and private universities in Indonesia can help eradicate corruption through the formation of students during their college years, said a philosophy professor from the Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta

"An effort to eradicate corruption needs two elements namely action and reflection. If [we] are just active, [our] reflection is empty. But in many universities, there is only reflection and no action is taken," Aloysius Agus Nugroho said at a forum held Sept. 29 at the university.

Universities can produce people with anti-corruption spirit, he said, noting that the community values learned by young people can help control the spread of corruption on a national level.

"This is what we need to look at. It is not easy though," he said.

He suggested that universities should include the effort to eradicate corruption in all subjects.

"Education in the campus is not only about subjects but also about the campus life in general," he said.

Adnan Topan Husodo, coordinator of the Jakarta-based Indonesia Corruption Watch, said that universities should impart values of anti-corruption.

"Corruption is huge in our society. It needs a long process to deal with it. Universities can start such a long cultural process. So the values resulted from the process can be more dominant than the values of corruption itself," he said.

Indeed, he said, the "anti-corruption movement needs universities' involvement."

He noted that 85 percent of all cases handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission involved college graduates.

"Do we need to blame universities? Well, I think [we] need a further investigation so as to find the main reason why people get involved in corruption," he said.

Doni Samosir, a law student at Atma Jaya, noted students record all corruption trials handled by the commission. "We have recorded 900 so far," he said.      

He hoped other universities will build a similar cooperation with the commission. "We know that university students have a huge spirit of work and idealism. These can be used to make a better development for all of us," he added.

According to Berlin-based Transparency International, Indonesia was ranked 107th — out of a total of 175 countries — on the Corruption Perceptions Index, up from 114th in the previous edition. 

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