Minggu, 08 Agustus 2010


We all live in a corrupted world, sadly. Just imagine if I go to “eat all we can eat “ Japanese shabu-shabu restaurant for Rp.100,000, I would go completely barbaric as if I haven’t eaten for the past week, perhaps I would sneak some fruits or cooked food and put it in a food container I have prepared from home. There is no English word that explains this habit of mine, or some others’, so let me use this phrase: aji mumpung. This is exactly the attitude of a lot of people in the power: greedy, and live as if there’s no tomorrow. What they are so concern about is me, myself, and I. So it’s a similar analogy with my all you can eat buffet. The country’s wealth and resources are their buffet and they feast their eyes and pocket. Who would know that they will be in the same position the next term or year?

As I’m writing about this, I begin to think what’s the difference between my Japanese shabu-shabu and the idea of corruption. Two examples have their victims and implications but only to an extent that I can only justify my own thought that eating like there’s no tomorrow is the rule that the restaurant gives- I can eat all I want and I pay for that. Whereas in the idea of governmental corruption is they are taking something that they don’t belong to. Another difference is by looking how many people are disadvantaged and treated unjustly by the actions?

So I’m not telling you that muda ga korup is impossible, it is very possible. But we have to remember that corruption is inevitable and some people could just go coo-coo when they see our vast forest, human resources, and mineral wealth. It could happen to private companies to even big government institutions. What we need is actually a stricter rule/law to deter corruption and to condemn corruptors. The whole objective is to make people think three or four times before actually doing it (corruption). Another way is to instill the sense of honesty in youth by emphasizing saying things like “they don’t belong to me” , hence they have the moral obligation to be a good citizen and people.

Well, if you like my previous analogy, let me give you another one. Supposed you are in the office where there is no control of stationery. There is a whole lot of buffet of pens, pencils, reams of paper and envelopes. Do you promise and swear to the gods you know and you don’t know that you will never ever take it home?

Nathania Regina