History of an Anti-Corruption Struggle Based on the Experience of the Republic of Indonesia

The fight against corruption is an integral part of the existence of the state apparatus of any country. The solution of any business practice with the help of "gifts" has always been a normal practice in the countries of Southeast Asia. After winning their independence, the Indonesian authorities began paying serious attention to the fight against corruption. In 1958, for the first time, on the initiative of the President Sukarno, a special body named "the Committee for the Correction of the State Apparatus" was created to combat corruption. But, the work of the Committee was sabotaged by officials. As a result, the confrontation between the Committee and the senior government officials led to the bureaucrats' victory. In 1959, the Committee announced its dissolution. In 1963, President Sukarno created a new organization to fight corruption named "Operation Budhi." The main task imposed on the new organization by the President was the inspection of the large state-owned enterprises in order to identify corruption schemes and to bring criminal cases before the court for sentencing. A smear media campaign was launched against the investigators working under "Operation Budhi"; its activity was recognized as ineffective and brought to a stop. Despite all attempts, there were no tangible victories over corruption during the rule of President Sukarno. After the transfer of power from President Sukarno to General Suharto, the corruption in Indonesia reached unprecedented proportions. The turning point in the corruption fight took place in 2002, when President Megawati Sukarnoputri set up "The Corruption Eradication Commission."