Jakarta – One possible explanation for the country's persistently low corruption perception index is the failure of highly educated citizens to fulfill their role as guardians of moral and ethical integrity. Indeed, some have been found to have engaged in corrupt practices, such as plagiarism, that have undermined their credibility.
A number of lecturers of the Faculty of Cultural Science at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), the country's oldest state university, have been embroiled in a plagiarism case after British historian Peter Carey claimed two books compiled by the UGM scholars, Madiun: Sejarah Politik dan Transformasi Kepemerintahan dari Abad XIV ke Abad XXI (Madiun: History of Politics and Government Transformation from the 14th Century to the 21st Century) and Raden Rangga Prawiradirdja III Bupati Madiun 1796-1810: Sebuah Biografi Politik (Raden Rangga Prawiradirdja III Madiun Regent 1796-1810: A Political Biography), copied material from Carey's works Kuasa Ramalan (Prophecy Power), a three-volume biography of Prince Diponegoro published by Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia (KPG).
One UGM historian, Sri Margana, said the alleged plagiarism had been resolved in March 2020 by KPG. However, the publisher denied Sri's statement, saying it had found long quotes taken verbatim from Kuasa Ramalan in the first and second editions of the Madiun history book and the first edition of the Raden Rangga Prawiradirja biography.
In response to the controversy, UGM's School of Cultural Sciences formed a fact-finding team to investigate alleged plagiarism committed by the lecturers. The dean of the school, Setiadi, said on Friday that the team, comprising professors and lecturers from within and outside of the faculty, found no elements of plagiarism in the two books.
In quoting Carey's works, the lecturers have followed the proper citation mechanisms, including Ministerial Regulation No. 17/2010 concerning the prevention and settlement of plagiarism in higher education, Setiadi added.
Such a conclusion, however, is unlikely to settle the allegations beyond doubt unless it comes from an independent team, which is free from any conflict of interest. If necessary, UGM leadership can intervene and set up a new team comprising figures from outside the university to prove they are taking the plagiarism case seriously.
A decade ago, plagiarism forced then UGM economist Anggito Abimanyu to resign as a lecturer at the university's School of Economics and Business. Under President Prabowo Subianto's cabinet, Anggito now serves as third deputy finance minister.
Now another member of the cabinet is facing serious allegations of academic code of ethics violations. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadialia has had his graduation from the doctoral program at the University of Indonesia's (UI) School of Global and Strategic Studies questioned over ethics concerns. Questions have been raised over Bahlil's success in completing his study in only one year and eight months, despite his busy agenda as then-investment minister and later, energy minister.
Most recently, the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) filed a complaint with UI as Bahlil cited the green group in his dissertation as the primary source for the study, while it had never given written or spoken authorization. Jatam members were only interviewed by a researcher identified as Ismi Azyka, who claimed to be conducting her own research as part of the UI Demographic Institute.
Few would disagree that plagiarism is a serious intellectual crime that deserves severe punishments to create deterrent effects. Law No. 20/2003 on the National Education System threatens to annul academic titles obtained by way of plagiarism. A scholar found guilty of plagiarism can also face a maximum jail sentence of two years.
With the advent of artificial intelligence, the integrity of the academic community is put to an even greater test. Plagiarism may loom larger, in spite of the many applications to detect it.
Enforcement of the law against plagiarism will not in itself suffice, especially in Indonesia, where legal certainty remains a challenge. Instilling morals and ethics in children at an early age, while time consuming, remains the most reliable tool to prevent plagiarism and other corrupt practices.
The problem is, we rarely incentivize honesty as the best policy.
Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2024/11/16/honesty-always-the-best-policy.htm