...the possibility of success for the government's
\nanticorruption program is in fact slim.<\/p>\n
;JP;CD;
\nANPAk..r..<\/p>\n
RI must not relax campaign on corruption
\nJP\/7\/GRAFT<\/p>\n
RI must not relax campaign on corruption<\/p>\n
Ardimas Sasdi
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
It was remarkable to see President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
\npromise to lead the anticorruption crusade personally, though
\nskeptics would have been curious to know from the start just how
\nhe intended to fight the malignant illness.<\/p>\n
Up to now Susilo has repeated the vow at least three times --
\nfirst during the election campaign, second in his inaugural
\nspeech on Oct. 20 and third during the launch of an
\nanticorruption campaign on Dec. 4, 2004.<\/p>\n
Whether it was sincere or not, the pledge from the number one
\nman in the country brought a glimmer of hope amid the dearth of
\npositive news since the financial crisis hit the country in 1997,
\nwhich had seen four presidents. None of them except Susilo has
\nput a plan to rid Indonesia of corruption on his top agenda.<\/p>\n
The retired four-star Army general told the nation in his
\ninaugural speech, broadcast live by electronic media from Merdeka
\nPalace, that, \"My administration will actively launch an
\nanticorruption program, which I myself am going to lead.\"<\/p>\n
He added that, \"My administration will do its utmost to
\nestablish good governance that is responsive to the public's
\nneeds and aspirations\".<\/p>\n
As if wishing to be true to his word, the President
\ninaugurated an anticorruption program on Dec. 4, 2004, which was
\nfollowed up by the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 4 on the
\nacceleration of the corruption fight. During the event organized
\nby artists, Susilo recounted his experience of the meeting of 21
\nheads of state of the Asia Pacific Economic Forum in Chile on
\nNov. 21 and Nov. 22 last year, which also discussed ways to put
\nan end to corruption.<\/p>\n
\"I am a sensitive person. When people (at the forum) were
\ntalking about corruption, I felt as if the eyes of 20 heads of
\nstate were on me...,\" Susilo said.<\/p>\n
He noted that he was embarrassed by the experience, but said
\nthis had strengthened his resolve to build a clean Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"I hope I can talk comfortably with other leaders of APEC
\nduring the next forum meeting in Seoul in 2005\".<\/p>\n
So far so good. But Susilo told a meeting of provincial
\ngovernors at the State Palace on Feb. 25, four months after he
\nwas sworn in as president, that his government was focusing its
\nantigraft efforts on the prevention of corruption in the future
\nrather than pursuing graft cases that took place in the past.<\/p>\n
He argued that,\" If we only look to the past, it means delving
\ninto things that are far from certain. We would be better off
\npreventing mega corruption cases from recurring in the future\".<\/p>\n
Perhaps, the statement eluded the attention of many of us who
\nwere occupied by the fuel price hike, but the Feb. 25 statement
\nis important as it will set the tone of the government agenda on
\nthe corruption. The same strategy is highly likely to be used by
\nthe government in resolving issues of the violations of human
\nrights by the military in the past such as Tanjung Priok, Lampung
\nand East Timor cases.<\/p>\n
More importantly, we the people may never see Soeharto, his
\ncronies and those who plundered the state through their
\ninvolvement in the mega Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI)
\nscandal, sit in the dock.<\/p>\n
Coincidentally, or perhaps not so, the Constitutional Court
\nruled on Feb. 17 that the Corruption Eradication Commission
\n(KPK), the agency which spearheaded the corruption fight, has no
\nretroactive authority. The ruling means that the agency cannot
\ndeal with cases of graft that took place prior to the
\ncommission's establishment in 2003.<\/p>\n
\"Fighting corruption is a mammoth task as the evil involve
\nalmost all elements and strata in the three branches of the
\ngovernment -- the executive, the legislative and judiciary, which
\ncolluded -- directly or indirectly -- to protect themselves,
\nrather than checking one another in a complex democratic system
\nof checks and balances.\" (J. Soedjati Djiwandono)<\/p>\n
The recent election of Vice President Jusuf Kalla as chairman
\nof the Golkar Party to replace Akbar Tandjung, who positioned
\nGolkar as an opposition together the Indonesian Democratic Party
\nof Struggle (PDI-P), the second largest party, tilted the balance
\nof power toward the government. It was an advantage for the
\nstability of Susilo's government due to Golkar's status as the
\nlargest party in the legislature. But this is also a liability
\nfor Susilo because many active and former members of Golkar,
\nwhich served as the engine of Soeharto's regime along with the
\nmilitary during his 32 years rule, were involved in corruption,
\ncollusion and nepotism or KKN. Transparency International
\nrecently placed Indonesia among the world's most corrupt
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Taking into account the political reality and the large number
\nof people involved -- some of whom are still in power -- it is no
\nwonder that the government has wavered in combating corruption.
\nSusilo has in fact taken the necessary steps to fight the evil
\nincluding the installation of Abdul Rahman Saleh, an experienced
\nlawyer known for his high credibility, as attorney general.<\/p>\n
The new attorney general is expected together with the KPK and
\nthe police force to spearhead the anticorruption crusade, but the
\nworking performance of the agencies have so far been
\ndisappointing due to bureaucratic, legal and manpower problems.
\nThe government's promise to fight societal ills is just rhetoric
\nas the plans lack focus and are not systematic.<\/p>\n
With the lack of political will, corrupt legal system,
\ninconsistency in law enforcement and a penchant for the good
\nlife, the possibility of success for the government's
\nanticorruption program is in fact slim. But the government has no
\nchoice, but to work hard, quickly and systematically to root out
\nthe societal evil.<\/p>\n
We must be ashamed of the endemic corruption and not relax the
\ncampaign even an inch. Our stake is gigantic -- Indonesia will be
\ndestroyed if the growth of corruption is not stopped as the
\nSusilo told Time Asia in an interview last November.<\/p>\n
The author is a staff writer of the Jakarta Post.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bthe-possibility-of-success-for-the-governments-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }