If you worked in the government of such a country is probably because of nepotism and to get a salary that is both guaranteed and above average.
You are part of the system, so if the guy that gave you the job (and may fire you as easily) asks you to "make it so that the population is X millions" of course you do it.
"throwing in the towel" would be a "I would do my job but I am forced to cheat the numbers otherwise I lose my job".
I was thinking more to a "I am grateful to my father's cousin for giving me a comfy job where I don't have to do much of the day, of course I am going to return a favor" kind of situation. Of course it is not always this way, but it is fairly frequent.
This is in particular true for those countries whose borders where designed not around ethnic lines but arbitrarily by external forces. The loyalty is to the clan, not to the state.
“If I had to work under a terrible system like that, I would simply continue to work under the system.”
Less than 0,000000000000000000000000001% of the people in the world cares about truth or about doing an honest job. The entire concept of doing anything which doesn't directly benefit them is laughable and alien to those.
Most of us are only partially honest and hard working, so the equation holds.
This may say more about the people that surround you specifically. I have made the opposite experience.
at that point you are pretty much "throwing in the towel"