``It laughs at my religion and we think Catholics everywhere should destroy it,'' the mother of three said, pointing to 100 others picketing ``The Da Vinci Code.'' Cinemas in the Philippines are under pressure to ban the film adaptation.

What both stories have in common is misplaced anger. In the spirit of free speech, Indonesians and Filipinos have every right to protest girlie magazines and books they deem blasphemous. Democracy is pointless if you can't express dissent.

Yet why aren't voices being raised with similar bravado over the real outrage: governments' failure to raise tens of millions out of poverty? The reason so many Asians remain poor is corruption, something people should be taking to the streets to denounce. That they're not doing so is a big worry, clouding Asia's economic and market outlooks.

Absolutely not. Rather than protesting Playboy, denouncing scantily clad singers like Inul Daratista or pushing an ambiguously written anti-porn law that could imprison women in miniskirts or married couples kissing in public, Indonesians should protest corrupt and inept government officials.

Take the case of former President Suharto. Earlier this month, the government dropped corruption charges against a leader Indonesians overthrew in 1998, citing his poor health.

Elements of the political and financial system Suharto created in his 32 years in power are perpetuating poverty in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Absolving him sends a dismal message amid President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's effort to attract $426 billion in investment by 2009 to build roads, power plants and ports so he can cut unemployment and poverty rates by half in the same period.

Indonesia's image problem is already bad enough. It ranked 137th in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for 2005, putting Indonesia in the same category as Iraq, Liberia and Uzbekistan. Health issues may have kept Indonesia from trying Suharto, and it's good to see the attorney general considering bringing civil charges. Giving him a pass on criminal charges is a mistake.

Rather than bring Marcos's family and cronies to justice, the administration of President Gloria Arroyo is engaged in settlement talks to retrieve some of the money. Many Filipinos also tolerate Imelda Marcos, wife of the late dictator, routinely making the society pages.

Instead of protesting ``The Da Vinci Code,'' Filipinos should be demanding action on corruption. A third of their nation's 86 million people live on 60 U.S. cents per day. The Philippines is home to a curious number of ``middle class'' celebrities and corporate chieftains who pay few taxes. That keeps bond yields unnecessarily high.

The 5 percent to 6 percent growth being enjoyed by both the Philippines and Indonesia doesn't trickle down very far, and that's the real scandal. The outrage shouldn't be over books, magazines or miniskirts, but over those in power -- or close to them -- hoarding resources better spent reducing poverty and improving health care, education and upgrading cities.

This isn't about ousting democratically elected leaders; it's about focusing them on the biggest threat to their nation's prosperity. If officials in Manila and Jakarta don't find enough well-paid jobs for their growing populations, they will be creating an albatross.

Sadly, rather than doing something that's sure to raise living standards -- curtailing corruption -- Yudhoyono is allowing an anti-pornography law that could damage free speech and expression. Indonesia may have the world's largest Muslim population, but its government is secular. The law also may devastate the nation's vital tourism industry as vacationers in Bali find their swimsuits running afoul of the law.

So much good would come if citizens called for an end to corruption in two of Asia's most vibrant democracies and promising economies. Burning books and banning magazines distract from the real immorality.

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