Fighting graft 'must start at budget debate'<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Just like government officials, corruption watchdogs showed no
\nsurprise on Friday at the results of a survey placing Jakarta as
\nthe most corrupt city in the country, but for quite different
\nreasons.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) said that
\ncorrupt practices start with budget deliberations that very often
\ntake place behind close doors.<\/p>\n
\"Non-transparent budget deliberations are the beginning of
\ncorrupt practices because many backroom deals are made during
\nsuch discussions,\" said Fitra executive Yuna Farhan on Friday.<\/p>\n
Transparency International Indonesia (TII) unveiled its survey
\nof 21 Indonesian cities, including the capital Jakarta, last
\nWednesday that showed that Jakarta topped the list as Indonesia's
\nmost corrupt city, while Wonosobo in Central Java was rated the
\nleast corrupt.<\/p>\n
Government officials, however, shrugged off the survey on
\nThursday, saying that it was totally unacceptable to compare
\nJakarta with small cities.<\/p>\n
Yuna said his organization often received unconfirmed reports
\nof officials offering their cronies in the private sector
\nprojects to be financed from the city budget, even while
\ndeliberations had not been completed.<\/p>\n
He also complained that the administration never opened the
\ndraft city budget to public scrutiny despite the fact that it was
\na public document.<\/p>\n
\"The administration, for example, never responds to letters
\nfrom Fitra asking for the draft city budget. It is an indication
\nthat there is something wrong with the budget deliberation
\nprocess,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He said that transparent budget deliberations would be an
\nimportant start in eradicating rampant corruption in the city.<\/p>\n
A similar comment came from deputy chairman of the Jakarta
\nResidents Forum (Fakta) Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto, who demanded
\nthat the city administration establish complaint and information
\ncenters on public services.<\/p>\n
\"The two centers are important because corruption often occurs
\nin public services. Officials frequently demand that residents
\npay illegal fees,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the administration already had a complaint facility --
\na 009 mailbox. Residents can lodge complaints through the
\nfacility about any irregular conduct, but many people got
\nfrustrated because many of their complaints went unheeded.<\/p>\n
\"The administration should announce how many letters come to
\nthe mailbox each month and how many cases are followed up by the
\nCity Audit Body (Bawasda). Such responses may encourage the
\npublic to take part in monitoring corruption practices,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to Tubagus, the proposed information center should
\nfacilitate access to all procedures and requirements for people
\nwho needed particular services.<\/p>\n
He added that the center should also mention official fees and
\ntime required to complete specific services.<\/p>\n
Yuna shared Tubagus' opinion, saying that information on
\npublic services should also be distributed through the official
\nwebsite run by the administration.<\/p>\n
\"I think all projects offered to the public must be announced
\nthrough the website,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Tubagus and Yuna agreed that the City Council had an important
\nrole to play in preventing corruption if they wished to prove
\nthat they were not actual participants in these practices.<\/p>\n
Tubagus said councillors have wide access to internal
\ninformation in the city administration.<\/p>\n
\"They can cooperate with non-governmental organizations and
\nthe media to disclose their findings if they really want to,\" he
\ntold the Post.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fighting-graft-must-start-at-budget-debate-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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