Officials' Awareness Is Still Weak, Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights, Eddy: Corruption Is Hard To Erase

Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej/ Antara

JAKARTA - The practice of corruption in Indonesia is difficult to eradicate because of the weak integrity and self-awareness of several officials and part of the community.

This was conveyed by Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights, Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, said Eddy Hiariej as he is familiarly called, explaining that compliance with non-corruption in Indonesia is still driven more by fear of sanctions/punishments than awareness in each person.

"We obey the rules, because there is encouragement from outside, not from our conscience", said Eddy when giving a speech at the Integrity Zone Development Workshop Towards a Corruption Free Area (WBK) in Jakarta, reported by Antara, Monday, October 4.

In the workshop session, the Professor of Law at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) explained the difference between autonomous and heteronomous legal awareness.

Autonomous legal awareness is an understanding that comes from within, including conscience. On the other hand, heteronomous legal awareness comes from external factors, including the rules and sanctions regulated by legislation or other laws.

He believes that anti-corruption awareness in Indonesia is still heteronomous. Therefore, if the law governing corruption is repealed, the Rasuah practices will continue.

On the same occasion, he gave an example of Japanese society, most of them have autonomous legal awareness.

"Japanese people, if the rules on corruption are repealed, they will still not commit acts of corruption", said Eddy Hiariej.

Therefore, anti-corruption awareness in Indonesia needs to be built through strengthening integrity, transparency, and accountability. "Integrity is the main keyword in fighting corruption", said Eddy.

“When we talk about integrity we are talking about human resources. Integrity is very important because integrity will give birth to legal awareness that is autonomous, not heteronomous”, he explained.

Then, he said, integrity needs to be accompanied by transparency and accountability.

"These three keywords, namely integrity, transparency, and accountability are a necessity for ministries and institutions if they want to build an Integrity Zone within the framework of a Corruption-Free Region and a Clean Serving Bureaucratic Area (WBBM)", said the Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights.

The Workshop on the Development of an Integrity Zone to a Corruption-Free Area and a Clean-Serving Bureaucracy Area is a series of commemorations of the Darma Karya Dhika Day of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights 2021.

This activity is a preparation for the 477 work units that have been proposed by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to participate in the evaluation of the national assessment team led by the Ministry of Empowerment of State Apparatus and Bureaucratic Reform.

In this activity, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia, Andap Budhi Revianto, explained that the purpose of the workshop was to build the same commitment in overseeing the implementation of bureaucratic reform within the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia.