While Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has been able to take down many powerful figures in recent years, graft remains endemic throughout much of the government, especially in certain regions. The mayor of Kupang, the capital city of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), recently made a bold anti-corruption move by announcing that he was dismissing all of the employees in the city’s Transportation Agency due to corruption as well as a lack of discipline.
Kupang Mayor Jefri Riwu Kore announced the dismissal on Friday, saying it had to be done to clean up the local government.
“Starting today, one agency, from the top down to the staff below, will be fired from their positions because there are indications they have engaged in corruption,” the mayor said as quoted by NTT Terkini.
Jefri said that the graft involved numerous matters within the agency, including parking lot tenders, the issuing of fake tickets and insufficient deposits to the regional treasury.
But the mayor also made clear that it was not just the evidence of corruption he found, but a lack of discipline and insubordination within the agency that made him decide to dismiss all involved. He claimed that those involved had been given a year to change their ways but failed to do so.
The mayor has already installed an acting head for the agency and said that all of the other staff would be replaced. He also said that if anybody had a problem with his decision, they were welcome to report him.
Kupang has long been accused of having one of the most corrupt governments in Indonesia and often ranks high in corruption perception indexes. Mayor Jefri has made graft-busting a major part of his agenda.
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