State of the nation

Yesterday, out of boredom and lack of better things to do, me and my girl decided to take a trip to Puncak, a mountainous region just south east of Jakarta that has been an escapade for Jakarta's residences for years.
We started off a bit late, around 3PM. As we got off the tollroad leading there, we found out that the road up to Puncak has been closed for traffic going up. Undettered by it and the pouring drizzle, we decided to find an alternative road up. In Indonesia, there's always an alternative.
Following our noses, and other cars obviously heading the same way, we found the alternative road up, but with a little catch. The road was a small one forking off the main road and there were at least a dozen local thugs directing, and blackmailing, the traffic that wish to use the road. The Indonesian has a nickname for these guys, "Polisi Cepekan" (hundred rupiahs cops), since we have to give some money (a hundred rupiah) to them no matter what or else.
Anyway..., the altenative road was a small and long winding road trough the vallies and foot hills of Puncak passing several unknown villages whose only trace of prosperity and modernity is the shadow of BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, and other expensive cars passing in front of their home. Along the way, for every several kilometers there will be more thugs.
Somehow they have discovered the only way they can taste prosperity is by blackmailing the Jakartan's driving pass their home! Hell..., some of the blackmailers even equip themself with a printed receipt signed by the local state officials!
The one thing that sadden me most though, was that despite the rain and the blackmailing, there were kids around doing the same things as their adults. What would you expect from kids who spend their afternoon begging at the front of their own home??? A world cup winner? A nobel prize winner? One of them was only about 3-4 years old.
No wonder those thugs are so good at it, they must have been doing it since they were just a wee lads too.
And so it was..., the small, narrow, and long winding road trough some of the most beautifull places on God's earth (did I mention it was beautiful, the nature?) became the mirror for the state of this beautiful country of ours.