Govt commitment to corruption eradication remains unclear<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Antigraft campaigners questioned on Wednesday the government's
\ncommitment to corruption eradication, which President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri spoke of in her national address on Monday.<\/p>\n
\"Actually, people expect to see the government's success in
\neradicating corruption in terms of quality, not quantity,\" said
\nIskandar Sonhadji, a former member of the now-defunct Joint
\nAnticorruption Team (TGPTPK).<\/p>\n
In her remarks, the President acknowledged the government's
\npoor performance in its anticorruption drive despite the
\nexistence of a series of legislation and an institution to fight
\nthe crime.<\/p>\n
However, in apparent defense of her administration, Megawati
\nboasted that the number of corruption cases are increasing,
\nincluding those involving Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI)
\nfunds, handed over to the courts by the Attorney General's
\nOffice.<\/p>\n
Only one of 19 convicts in the Rp 144.5 trillion (US$15.7
\nbillion) scam has been imprisoned, while the rest have either
\nfled the country or remain at large.<\/p>\n
Iskandar said that despite the many corruption cases handled
\nby prosecutors across the country, people only noticed high-
\nprofile corruption cases, most of the suspects of which have
\nmanaged to evade justice.<\/p>\n
\"The fact that the President has done nothing to the attorney
\ngeneral, who has been reported to the police for alleged
\ncorruption, has hurt the people.<\/p>\n
\"People can't understand either how the Attorney General's
\nOffice's has let some high-profile debtors walk free only because
\nthey paid back the money they stole. It sets a bad precedent,\" he
\ntold The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Separately, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Corruption Watch
\n(ICW) Lucky Djani said the President's remarks would not boost
\npeople's trust in the government's efforts to stamp out
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
\"The government's policies do not reveal a systemic effort to
\neradicate corruption,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Lucky said the government's praise for its achievements in
\nhandling BLBI cases was a mockery.<\/p>\n
\"People still remember the Attorney General's Office's poor
\nrecord in dealing with the BLBI scandal, in which most of the
\nsuspects evaded justice or got lenient sentences,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The prosecution against high-profile bankers, who were accused
\nof misusing BLBI funds, failed to retrieve the state money.<\/p>\n
Lucky also criticized the President for putting the blame on
\nthe courts, which do not fall under the government's supervision.<\/p>\n
\"The government can't wash its hands of the matter. Court
\ncases come from prosecutors and police, which are government
\napparatus. Lack of evidence or weak indictments due to their poor
\nperformance end up with acquittals,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Iskandar suggested that the President order the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office to get tough with alleged corrupters.<\/p>\n
\"It wouldn't be considered intervening if she told prosecutors
\nwhat to do when handling corruption cases,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-commitment-to-corruption-eradication-remains-unclear-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}