by: Denny JA
The world data was jolting again.
The CPI measures the Top 10 countries that are cleanest of corruption (Corruption Perception Index) in 2019 (published in 2020), most of its citizens do not consider religion important in their lives (measured by Gallup Poll, 2009).
Meanwhile, a country with a majority of citizens who consider religion to be very important has a high level of corruption in the government.
Two important questions were born at once.
First, why is religion not an important variable in reducing corruption? Doesn’t religion have a lot to say about morals? Isn’t corruption as clear as a violation of public morals? Violation of the mandate of public office?
Second, why is it with a country that has made its government clean, most of the public not considering religion as important in their life? Is there a source of morality that is more modern and rooted outside religion?
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We start with data. Analysis must rely on data.
Since 1993, an organization called Transparency International has dedicated itself to fighting corruption. Business elites, Civil Society and Government are the keys to this holy war.
This institution defines corruption as “the misuse of public power for personal gain.” Misuse of public office for personal gain.
The terrible effects of corruption for the nation’s progress are very clear. Funds for mutual progress, public funds, are misused by congregational corruption that only enriches a group. They betrayed the public’s trust because they hurt the people.
By some countries, we even consider corruption an extraordinary crime. What crime could be more sinister than abuses which destroy the well-being of the people?
Since 1995, Transparency International has published research on the ranking of corruption in various countries in the world.
The corruption assessment method continues to be updated. At the time of writing this essay, it published a new Transparency International report in 2020.
It bases the corruption ranking formula on an index called the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). This is a combination of expert judgment, expert judgment, and public opinion surveys.
In 2020, this institution will full use secondary data from 12 institutions. Among others: Economist Intelligence Unit, World Bank, World Economic Forum, Freedom House and World Justice Project.
For comparison, the results for the index are the numbers 0 to 100. The closer to 100, the cleaner the country. The closer to 0, the country is getting more and more corrupt.
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Its 2020 report, Transparency International, issues corruption rankings for 179 countries.
Below is a list of the Top 10 countries most clean from corruption, along with the score.
1. New Zealand (87)
2.Denmark (87)
3. Finland (86)
4.Singapore (85)
5. Switzerland (85)
6. Sweden (84)
7. Norway (82)
8.Netherlands (82)
9. Luxembourg (80)
10. Germany (80)
Again, a country with a clean dominance, like the country with the happiest citizens (World Happiness Report), is a Scandinavian country (Nordic Countries).
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Now, the data on the world of corruption, we integrate it with data on the perception of the importance of religion for citizens.
In the previous essay, we have explained it that the 2009 Gallup Poll conducted research for 149 countries.
The research only explores one question: “Is religion important in your daily life? Is religion important in your daily life?
The answer is only Yes or No. A tiny proportion of respondents did not answer.
So a map of the world’s countries is presented based on how important religion is to citizens.
There are countries where 90 percent or more of the citizens consider religion to be important in their life. There are countries where only 20 percent or less of citizens consider religion important in their lives.
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Now we integrate that data. For the Top 10 countries that are clean from corruption, how important religion is to citizens there.
Below is a list of the Top 10 countries most clean of corruption. In parentheses is the percentage of importance of religion in their life.
1. New Zealand (33 percent)
2. Denmark (19 percent)
3. Finland (28 percent)
4. Singapore (70 percent)
5. Switzerland (41 percent)
6. Sweden (15 percent)
7. Norway (22 percent)
8. The Netherlands (33 percent)
9. Luxembourg (39 percent)
10. Germany (40 percent).
Wow! Aha! How can?
In the most corrupt countries, citizens there do not consider religion important. Even in Sweden, only 15 percent of the people there consider religion important.
The only country in the Top 10 countries above is only Singapore: 70 percent, most whom consider religion important.
On average, in the Top 10 countries, only 34 percent of citizens think religion is important. Far more people think religion is no longer important in their life.
What about the level of state corruption where most citizens consider religion important?
Below is a list of those countries. In successive brackets, the name of the majority religion. Then what percentage of citizens think religion is important Ting. Then, the government cleanliness ranking data.
1. India (Hindu, 90 percent, 80)
2.Philippines (Catholic, 96 percent, 113)
3.Saudi Arabia (Islam, 93 percent, 51)
4. Thailand (Buddhist, 96 percent, 101)
5. Indonesia (Islam, 97 percent, 85)
Of the 179 countries measured, the five countries above are only perched in the middle to the lower middle board. Whether the majority are Hindus, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, the cleanliness of government is bad.
In India, for example, the origin of Hinduism, where 90 percent of citizens consider religion to be important in their lives, the level of corruption is at 80 out of 179 countries measured.
The Philippines, where 96 percent of the population feels religion is very important, has corruption at level 111.
We can see the minor effect of religious belief on public morality, such as corruption in the case of Indonesia. In our country, 99 percent consider religion important in life. The corruption is at level 85.
It is even suspected that the department of religion in Indonesia is the most corrupt department (3). How can? The ministry to convey holy religious messages is the most corrupt?
Even three Indonesian religious ministers in the reform era were jailed for corruption (4).
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How to explain the above phenomenon? What can we learn from the eye-opening data?
First, public morale in government is NOT determined by how many or at least those who believe in religion. But corruption is determined more by modern management.
Modern management of corruption is founded on the principle: effective internal control of government. The presence of a corruption tracking agency. Free investigation by the media and civil society. Rule of law and legal sanctions against corruptors. And strong government ethics.
Modern management, not religion, makes governance clean. If you want to uphold public morality, the recommendation: add a dose of modern management. Not add a dose of religion in public spaces.
Second, religion is not the only source of public morality. Moreover, a religion that is interpreted in a narrow way, which only wants to monopolize heaven for its group.
Moreover, now there are also 4300 different religions.
It is proven that 9 of the top 10 countries have the cleanest level of corruption, the majority think religion is no longer important in their life.
Then if it is not religion, what is the source of that morality?
Homo sapiens is 300 thousand years old. The dominant religion of today is only 3,000 years old at most.
As much as 300 thousand years minus 3000 years, it means that 99 percent of homo sapiens age have lived without the existing religion.
Good and bad reflections in the context of survival have been living in human DNA for a long time. Even before the dominant religion was present.
The principles of good and bad are stored more strongly in the minds of modern humans. Even though you don’t believe in religion, the principle of right and wrong is still alive.
The facts show that. In Denmark, or Sweden, just under 20 percent think religion is important in their life. After all, they succeeded in enforcing a government that was clean from corruption. This is a very moral public space.
Does this mean that religion is no longer important in modern times? The answer: it depends on how the religion is interpreted.
Jalaluddin Rumi is very popular in the western world because he interprets religion universally. The interpretation unites people, not divides them. His interpretation calls on the depths: controlling the cleanliness of behavior from within
This Jalaluddin Rumi type of religious interpretation does not only bring authentic happiness to individuals. But this interpretation is also functional for the public sphere in the modern world, which is increasingly neutral from the domination of one religion. *
NOTE
1. World data on levels of corruption
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index
2. World data on the importance of religion for citizens
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Importance_of_religion_by_country
3. Religious departments in Indonesia are the most corrupt
https://amp.kompas.com/nasional/read/2011/11/29/02410859/K Kementerian.Agama.Terkorup
4. Even three ministers of religion are in prison for corruption
https://m.merdeka.com/peristiwa/sudah-dua-menteri-agama-di-indonesia-terjerat-kasus-korupsi.html
Writing source: Facebook DennyJA_World https://www.facebook.com/322283467867809/posts/3534719996624124/?d=n
