That the lack of proper policing continues to be the biggest concern among the Indonesian people is instructive of how far the country has come over the last decade.
While a recent survey conducted by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) focused on corruption, law enforcement goes far beyond just graft. Fighting corruption is important, but ultimately what is at stake is our belief and trust in the legal system.
The survey is also a reflection of the public's faith in state institutions. According to the results of the LSI survey, the National Police, the National Army (TNI) and the President were deemed more "clean" than other institutions, which is a pleasant surprise.
The police in particular have come under heavy public criticism of late because of a string of alleged abuse cases, including the alleged torturing to death of two minors in Sumatra.
The arrest of a juvenile who stole a pair of cheap sandals and more recently the arrest of a boy who stole a tiny amount of money has fueled public anger. Similar stories continue to emerge from various parts of the country.
While the full force of the law has been unleashed on such petty offences, more serious breaches of the law go unpunished or only receive light sentences.
The Bogor mayor, for example, continues to defy the Supreme Court ruling favoring the embattled GKI Yasmin church, while those who attacked and seriously wounded members of the Ahmadiyah sect in February last year got off very lightly.
It is such double standards in the application of the law that create an impression that not enough is being done to combat corruption. Even presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha has acknowledged that the government still has a lot to do, especially on law enforcement.
It is unfair to blame President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono alone for the poor law enforcement in the country. True the president could have been more proactive on the issue, but other institutions such as the House of Representatives and regional government leaders must also do their part.