Bali – In its desperate attempt to show its commitment to fight corruption, the Democratic Party has come up with the idea of an anti-corruption songwriting competition, expected to promote honesty among the younger generation.

Democratic Party Bali branch chairman I Made Mudarta said on Saturday that the idea of a songwriting competition came from the party and Balinese society. He said that the Education and Culture Ministry should organize the competition.

"I delivered the idea to House Speaker. He promised to tell the ministry [about the suggestion]," he said, referring to Marzuki Alie, who is also a Democratic Party politician.

Mudarta was quoted by Antara news agency saying that the participants in the competition could be students from all levels of education, including senior high school and university.

"The competition will promote national awareness against corruption," he said. "The winning song should be sung by students regularly".

Mudarta said that the anti-corruption campaign should start with educational institutions. "It will be good if the song about honesty was performed like the national anthem of Indonesia Raya," he added.

The incumbent Democratic Party came with its "say no to corruption" campaign during the general election in 2009. No less than President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono himself appeared in a television campaign a fight corruption.

Years later, several of its prominent figures, including Muhammad Nazaruddin, Angelina Sondakh and Hartati Murdaya, were charged with involvement in several corruption cases in the country. (cor/lfr)