Indonesia: October 7, 2003

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 An international survey of government and commercial corruption ranked Indonesia as one of the most corrupt on the planet. Last year, Indonesia ranked 96, this year their rank is 122. The corruption causes political unrest and is one reason Islamic political parties are so popular. The corruption also causes separatism movements, the most prominent being the one in Aceh. The corruption also discourages foreign investment, which keeps poverty and unemployment rates high. The corruption also affects the police, who can be paid to ignore crimes, or even commit them. The media has to worry about physical attacks on journalists and businesses in general must operate in a lawless atmosphere. This is what has allowed terrorists to take root in Indonesia, and makes it more difficult to root them out.