Time for Indonesia’s political will to out-flex entrenched corruption: Analysts

Indonesia's Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has gone on a warpath against public servants’ ostentatious displays of riches. - Reuters

JAKARTA (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): The Indonesian Finance Ministry’s crackdown on lavish displays of wealth by tax officials could create the momentum needed to root out perceived corruption in the government and regain public trust, analysts say.

An assault allegedly perpetrated last week by the flashy son of a mid-level tax official has renewed debate about the sources of wealth of some of the country’s highest-paid civil servants, and stirred calls among netizens to boycott the filing of income tax.