IN JAKARTA

INDONESIA, which has consistently ranked low in Transparency International's corruption perception list, is tirelessly making efforts to change its image.

Its powerful anti-corruption commission (KPK), established in 2003, has thrown in jail scores of senior government officials as well as parliamentarians who have been convicted of receiving bribes.

Still, more endeavours to fight corruption continue, including campaigns like writing anti-corruption messages on post cards.

The latest one is the concept of opening "Honesty Cafes" in schools, where students would pick any drink and snacks offered on the shelves and then drop an equivalent amount of money in an unattended box, as payment for the items taken. No cashier is around.

The government says this is to imbibe honesty in its citizens from early years, so that when they enter the country's workforce they won't condone cheating, or more importantly if they become public servants, they will still uphold the values of honesty and shun corrupt practices.

These honesty cafes have cropped up in thousands of schools in Indonesia, and the majority of them have worked quite well — operating with profits.

But doubts remain if this whole idea will lead to the much wanted change and succeed in moulding the young citizens into honest members of the society in later years.

One thing is for sure, the honour system isn't new in Indonesia.

Traditional Sundanese (West Java) food stalls have been applying the system since years.

One typical example of this is the Sundanese food franchise restaurant "Laksana" which serves its food in a unique way.

It lets customers sit on both sides of a long table, facing each other, and sumptious food is placed in between.

Dishes ranging from fried gold fish, fried cow intestine and brain, and the famous Sundanese shrimp-paste chilli fill up the table and customers then pick up any food they would like to eat unto their plates.

When they finish eating, they voluntarily tell the restaurant staff what they have eaten, and pay for their food.

In the press lounge at the Istana in Jakarta, a full-time cleaning staff has been running a side-income business of selling cups of instant noodle, donuts and shrimp crackers by spreading his food on a vacant table, and placing a white plastic box for the journalist customers to place their payments. He has no complaints so far.

Corruption never involves petty cash. It involves a large sum of free money (loosely translated as temptation).

While, payment for snacks or even lunches do not really constitute temptation, it is not clear if these honesty cafes would be a good means of teaching an entire generation about the virtues of honesty and getting them to voluntarily join this unique fight against corruption.

But, it is a good start.