Corruption 'from state palace to political parties'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Unlike in the past, political parties are now
\nthe vanguard of corruption in the country, as a result of
\ndemocratization and decentralization, the Indonesian Corruption
\nWatch (ICW) revealed in its year-end report on Monday.<\/p>\n
ICW coordinator Teten Masduki said he expected a snowball
\neffect of corrupt practices due to a lack of political will from
\nthe government to eradicate them.<\/p>\n
\"It's outrageous that corruption takes place in the era of
\ndemocratization and transparency, while no theories can explain
\nwhy. We understand that we are still in a transition process,
\nwhere the checks and balances between the state and civil society
\nhave not yet been perfectly developed.<\/p>\n
\"However, democratization without public accountability will
\nonly pave the way for money politics and allow corruption to
\nspread out of control,\" he told a media briefing.<\/p>\n
In its preliminary investigation, ICW identified six
\ncorruption cases which it suspects took place in the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR) last year. They include, the election of
\nBank Indonesia deputy governors, the screening of the chief
\njustice candidates, the hearing between the House and the
\nAttorney General's Office over the termination of an
\ninvestigation into PT Texmaco, and the drafting of the Tax and
\nExcise Law, which stipulates that particular businesses can be
\nexempt from taxes.<\/p>\n
The watchdog also suspected corruption in the House
\nlegislators' visits to the shrimp hatchery PT Dipasena in
\nLampung, which allegedly caused losses to the state, and to PT
\nPura Barutama, a paper printing company in Kudus, Central Java.
\nPT Pura has recently been accused of printing counterfeit money.<\/p>\n
Teten deemed that corruption had become a political problem,
\nand the political parties had contributed to maintaining it as a
\nmethod of obtaining the funds they badly need to survive.<\/p>\n
\"The parties look for financial resources either from
\nbusinessmen, the military, state officials or others. We perceive
\ntheir main concern now is the placement of their members in
\nparticular ministries, or state enterprises known to be a state
\ncash cow.<\/p>\n
\"And vice versa, the businessmen look for a patron. In the
\npast they depended solely on the ruling party Golkar, but under
\nthese uncertain political circumstances they support all parties.
\nThese practices have given corruption a boost,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Teten lashed out at the current government, who have failed to
\ncarry out their own anti-corruption drive.<\/p>\n
\"Instead of solving the many past corruption cases, which are
\nnow stranded at the Attorney General's Office, they perpetuate
\nthe crime,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Teten said President Abdurrahman Wahid had replaced only 15
\npercent of people in his administration who belonged to the old
\nregime, and whose appointments were not subjected to appropriate
\nscreening.<\/p>\n
\"Although we can see that Gus Dur finds resistance from the
\nold faces, who have repositioned themselves and served as the
\nstumbling blocks to corruption eradication efforts, the President
\nin fact doesn't have a sound agenda,\" he said, referring to the
\nPresident by his nickname.<\/p>\n
He said it was necessary for Gus Dur to break the chain
\nconnecting the current government with the past regime, and to
\nrestructure legal institutions, including the reform of laws in a
\nbid to uphold justice.<\/p>\n
Teten also said that the House's special committee currently
\ninvestigating financial scandals allegedly involving the
\nPresident \"does not really show the legislators' intention to
\nresolve the cases.\"<\/p>\n
\"The investigation into Buloggate and Bruneigate only
\nrepresent a political competition between the elites and
\npolitical parties,\" he said.<\/p>\n
ICW suggested that the government and the House revise the
\nAnti-Corruption Law No. 31\/ 1999 due to a lack of political
\nsupport for the current investigations into corruption. (bby)<\/p>",
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