Three Checks that Speak Volumes

In the so-called reform era, bribes and extortion still go on in the very heart of Indonesia's legislature, the supposed spearhead of fundamental change. How does it all work?

September 11, 2001

Three travelers checks from Bank Mandiri. Put together, they are worth Rp2.5 million. They have been stored away for roughly three months. The holder is a member of the respected House of Representatives (DPR), and has no intention of cashing them in. They are not just checks. "This is one piece of evidence of bribery practices in the DPR," the legislator said. This legislator has been collecting many other such pieces of evidence in the la...

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