Students of Denpasar’s SMAN 2 state senior high school

HONESTY MEAL: Students of Denpasar’s SMAN 2 state senior high school purchase items from the Honesty Cafeteria, a school canteen opened to mark Anti-Corruption Day. (JP/Wasti Admodjo)HONESTY MEAL: Students of Denpasar’s SMAN 2 state senior high school purchase items from the Honesty Cafeteria, a school canteen opened to mark Anti-Corruption Day. (JP/Wasti Admodjo)

The Bali Prosecutor's Office and Karang Taruna youth organization on Tuesday opened the "Honesty Cafeteria", a school canteen at SMAN 2 state senior high school, Denpasar, to mark Anti-Corruption Day.

The cafeteria is part of an ongoing effort to instill the traits of honesty and truthfulness into young Indonesians, traits that are expected to play a pivotal role in preventing the future spread of corruption.

Chief prosecutor Budiman Raharjo said Anti-Corruption Day was an important time to remind the public about the serious dangers posed by corruption.

Corruption could greatly disrupt the country's social, economic and political order, he said.

The Honesty Cafeteria, Raharjo said, was a model to measure students' truthfulness. Like any other school canteen, the cafeteria sells food, drinks, snacks and writing books. The only important difference is that the Honesty Cafeteria has no staff. Not even one adult is in the canteen serving the students.

Each item for sale in the cafeteria carries a price tag. Students can take any item they want and drop their money in a payment box, from which they can also take their change.

If a student chooses to take something without paying, there is no punishment -- it is all about honesty and, certainly, dishonesty.

"The seed money to establish the cafeteria was provided by the Bali Prosecutor's Office. The seed money was Rp 3 million," said Bali Karang Taruna deputy chairman I Wayan Suartana.

"The existing school canteen will coordinate with the prosecutor's office in managing the new cafeteria."

The cafeteria is the first of its kind on the island, although similar cafeterias have been established in schools in other provinces. Suartana said he hoped other schools in Bali would soon open similar canteens.

The principal of SMAN 2, Ketut Sunarta, urged his students to use the cafeteria as a chance to prove their honesty.

"This is the perfect time for us to prove who we are and what our school is made of," he said in a speech to students.

One of the students, Gede Indra Surya, said he was proud his school had been selected for the pilot project.

"It seems like a small thing, but the lessons learned from this cafeteria will create major impacts in the future," he said.

He was optimistic that he and his fellow students would be able to maintain the cafeteria.

Head of Denpasar Education Agency, I Gusti Lanang Jelantik, said similar cafeterias would soon be established at the city's junior high and elementary schools.