Indonesia launches highly successful film selection: Us Against Corruption
Corruption is an everyday phenomenon in Indonesia. On a daily basis the media reports corruption on the national level and amongst the political elite, yet much remains to be said about it at a local level and in everyday life.
In the words of Indonesia Corruption Watch, the country lost an estimated 2.13 trillion rupiah (238 million dollars) to bureaucracy-related corruption in 2011.
In 2011, Transparency International ranked Indonesia 100th out of 182 in its 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) with a score of 3.0 out of 10, in a tied place with countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Gabon.
As a creative and impact-generating way to raise public awareness of corruption and its negative impacts, a group of anti-corruption organizations, directors and famous Indonesian actors created four hugely successful short films about corruption in everyday life, collectively named Kita Versus Korupsi (Us Versus Corruption).
The films cover local issues such as paying a bribe to get married and corruption in schools.
Transparency International Indonesia (TII) collaborated closely with the country’s highly successful anti-corruption body, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) , in coordinating film production, the launch and distribution.
The film series shows that corruption does not need to be engraved into culture. Through interactive awareness-building and education, corruption can progressively be taken out of the societal norm and does not have to be an expected part of daily life. The enthusiastic cast and crew of Kita Versus Korupsi have been busy with distributing their film on road shows and requested screenings all over the country, building awareness and bringing the problem of corruption to the forefront of public thinking.
Busyro Muqoddas, deputy chairman of KPK
It has often been said that Indonesian corruption is embedded in everyday life, and that this “culture of corruption” exists, not only at the higher levels of society and amongst elderly people, but also flourishes in the everyday lives of younger generations. The frustration of not being able to get everyday tasks done via honest paths leads to a norm where corrupt ways are acceptable, and often a necessary to conduct affairs.
The message of the film series is to portray the everyday aspects of corruption that the majority of the public can associate with.
Press contact(s):
Chris Sanders
Manager, Media and Public Relations
press@transparency.org
+49 30 3438 20 666
