Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency has launched a mobile app packed with graphics and games to educate the public and officials about bribery.
The app, available for free on iPhones and handsets using the Android operating system, features a virtual theme park where animated graphics teach people about how to avoid giving out or receiving payments that could be considered bribes. It also incorporates quizzes to test people’s knowledge of the issue.
“Many state officials and entrepreneurs are not aware that giving gifts and free services constitutes corruption and is an offence,” said Johan Budi, a spokesman for Indonesia’s corruption eradication commission spokesman.
Corruption is a major issue in Indonesia, where it is common practice for bureaucracy officials to demand payments from members of the public for providing services that should be free.
There is strong public awareness and anger in Indonesia about high-level corruption involving huge sums of money and top officials. The commission has succeeded in cracking some major cases, but corruption further down the food chain is more widespread and harder to fight.
Smartphone sales in Indonesia, which is the world’s fourth most populous country with 250 million people, have been surging in recent years as the middle class grows.
The NGO Transparency International ranked Indonesia 114th out of 177 countries and territories in its annual corruption perceptions index last year. A number one ranking means the least corrupt.