Although the problem of commercial bribery can seem intractable, small, simple solutions – and a little dumb luck – can be very effective. On a recent trip to Jakarta to host an anti-bribery workshop, we determined that we’d left it too late to ship our workshop materials. Although there was technically enough time for everything to get there, we couldn’t rule out the possibility that the boxes would be delayed by customs. The irony of TRACE facing a possible bribe-demand to secure their release was not lost on us. In the end, we couldn’t have scripted a better exchange with the customs official than the one we had.
Carolyn Lindsey, TRACE’s Director of Member Services, recounts the scene here.
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“Processing goods through customs is a flashpoint for bribe demands in many countries, and Indonesia is no exception. Upon our arrival in Jakarta for a TRACE workshop, we bumped into an Indonesian customs official who seemed to have selected us from the crowd quite particularly. But what felt very like a set-up for a bribe demand was diffused, unexpectedly.
We were proceeding through customs with our luggage when the customs official hailed us over. He pointed to one of our four suitcases and asked us to open it. The suitcase he had selected held the 200 “End Bribery” buttons, printed in Bahasa Indonesian, that we were bringing for the workshop. The official pulled out a button and looked at it quizzically. “What’s this?” he asked, before reading the button: “Tolak Sogok: Jangan Kasih, Jangan Minta,” (“End Bribery: Don’t Offer, Don’t Ask”). He took a long look and called a colleague over. They exchanged rapid-fire comments, before he turned back to us. “This,” he said with great emphasis and thrusting the button toward us, “is a very good idea.” And then: “may I keep it?” The ice broken, he posed with the button on his uniform, alongside his rows of bling, before letting us proceed through customs without delay.
It’s impossible to know whether this customs official would have asked for a bribe if he had not opened a suitcase full of “End Bribery” buttons. If he had intended to ask for money, the buttons made the request much more difficult. We handed out the buttons at the workshop held several days later. Many in the audience wore the buttons and others asked for more to give to colleagues responsible for dealing with license requests and customs issues.
There will be many times when a simple button will not put off a greedy government official, but as we found out and our member company representatives in Jakarta already knew, advertising your position on bribery in a low-key, non-confrontational way will deflect some requests. TRACE has “End Bribery” buttons in more than a dozen languages and is adding new languages in response to requests. Do drop us a line if you’re heading overseas and would like us to send you one so you can try this for yourself.”
