Baramuli, lawmaker who provokes curiosity<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Among 35 people awarded Indonesia's second
\nhighest distinguished medal, the Bintang Mahaputra, was outspoken
\nlegislator A.A. Baramuli whose ideas and statements often provoke
\npublic curiosity.<\/p>\n
The award presentation was held last Friday in conjunction
\nwith the country's 52nd independence anniversary which fell on
\nSunday.<\/p>\n
Baramuli, along with a few other House members, once suggested
\nthe need for Indonesia to set up an anti-corruption agency to
\ndiminish, if not eliminate, rampant monetary irregularities of
\ngovernment officials throughout the country.<\/p>\n
He said to achieve a clean government, high-ranking officials
\nshould announce their wealth so as to instill public trust that
\nthey did not collude in exercising their authority and power.<\/p>\n
\"There must always be a beginning for something -- also in
\nfighting corruption. Perhaps the government could begin by
\nwhitewashing the origin and whereabouts of officials' wealth and
\nthen ask them to contribute 30 percent of what they own to the
\ncountry,\" Baramuli told The Jakarta Post in an interview Monday.<\/p>\n
He also said paying civil servants with sound and realistic
\nsalaries would be one way of eliminating corruption, which would
\neventually lead to a high-cost economy.<\/p>\n
\"(Realistic salaries) are needed so that civil servants can
\nearn more than just to make ends meet, as well as finance their
\nchildren's education,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Touching on the widening economic gap between the rich and
\npoor, he said the government should take concrete steps to
\novercome the issue by implementing a fair system of wealth
\ndistribution to all layers of society.<\/p>\n
Baramuli made headlines in local newspapers three years ago
\nwhen he disclosed a US$430 million letter of credit fiasco at a
\nstate-owned bank.<\/p>\n
It was the greatest bank scam that ever occurred in the
\ncountry. The case drew public attention, especially after the
\nperpetrator, Eddy Tansil, escaped from prison in May last year.<\/p>\n
Born in July 1930, in Pinrang, South Sulawesi, Baramuli
\ngraduated from the prestigious University of Indonesia's School
\nof Law in 1955.<\/p>\n
In 1960, at the age of 29, he was appointed governor of South
\nand Central Sulawesi -- troubled regions that were affected by a
\nseparatist rebellion on the island.<\/p>\n
Currently, Baramuli is active in the National Commission on
\nHuman Rights and is chairman of the Supervisory Council of the
\nIndonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.<\/p>\n
When asked about his services to the country which earned him
\nthe Mahaputra medal, Baramuli said there were at least two
\noccasions which impressed him most. The first one was when he
\nhelped transport some 10,000 Permesta rebels from Sulawesi to
\nJava and persuaded them to pledge loyalty to the central
\ngovernment in the early 1960s.<\/p>\n
The second was when he and his colleagues from the human
\nrights commission helped settle the decade-long land dispute
\nbetween landowners and developers in East Java.<\/p>\n
\"We approached the disputing parties humanely and
\nrealistically in solving their problems,\" he said. (ego)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/baramuli-lawmaker-who-provokes-curiosity-1447893297",
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