In whom should we trust?<\/p>\n
Indonesia remains perched on the upper part of the list of the
\nworld's most corrupt countries.<\/p>\n
According to the Berlin-based Transparency International (TI),
\nIndonesia is the sixth most corrupt country out of 133 countries
\nit has observed in 2003.<\/p>\n
Due to widespread graft in the public sector and the judicial
\nsystem, it is no surprise that Indonesia ranks again as one of
\nthe world's most corrupt nations.<\/p>\n
Transparency International listed Indonesia near the same
\nlevel as Kenya but ahead of Myanmar, Angola, Cameroon, Paraguay,
\nNigeria and Haiti.<\/p>\n
It seems that we have run out of words to describe the
\nepidemic of corruption in our own country.<\/p>\n
Various recommendations and regulations issued to eradicate
\nthis terrible disease have ended in vain.<\/p>\n
Following the collapse of the New Order government, we were
\nall elated, hoping that corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN)
\nwould soon be wiped out, but in fact it even got worse.<\/p>\n
In the reform government since the reign of presidents B.J.
\nHabibie, Abdurrahman Wahid and now Megawati Soekarnoputri, the
\npractice of KKN has remained the same.<\/p>\n
The political corruption under President Megawati's current
\nterm is even frighteningly worse than that during the time of
\nformer dictator, Soeharto, who resigned in 1998.<\/p>\n
Thus, it would be a big mistake for us to trust in the power
\nof the present government, in President Megawati, to combat
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The California recall results<\/p>\n
This is not a bad movie. It's the reality of what happens when
\na bland and unpopular governor meets a Hollywood action hero
\npromising to blow up a corrupt and aloof culture in Sacramento.<\/p>\n
In the 1972 film, The Candidate, Robert Redford, playing
\nSenate candidate Bill McKay, delivered the memorable election-
\nnight line, \"What do we do now?\"<\/p>\n
Many Californians may be waking up this morning with a similar
\nblend of amazement and uncertainty about their new governor.
\nSchwarzenegger cloaked himself in generalities throughout the
\ncampaign. He talked broadly about creating an administration more
\nreceptive to business concerns -- as a way to keep jobs in the
\nstate -- while fending off other special interests who are
\ndraining the state budget. Much of his agenda remains a blank
\nslate.<\/p>\n
While Schwarzenegger ran against the status quo, his
\neffectiveness as governor may depend on how well he can work with
\nlegislators of both parties. He need look no further than the
\nhistory of another outsider-actor, Ronald Reagan, in mastering
\nSacramento more than three decades ago.
\n-- San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco<\/p>\n
A new newspaper<\/p>\n
The launch (on Oct. 7) of a new daily newspaper in the South
\nAfrican market is testament to the power of optimism. Without it,
\nthere would be no media, newspapers or otherwise, anywhere, other
\nthan organs created and financed by governments.<\/p>\n
The Nigerian -- owned This Day bears all the hallmarks of the
\npassions that regularly drive journalists and rich men into each
\nother's arms -- a desire to do something better, to change the
\nworld, even a little bit, or to be heard.<\/p>\n
Indeed, contrary to conventional wisdom among the many
\n\"experts\" on the press, a newcomer is, if it is any good, more
\nlikely to have a positive effect on existing newspapers than on
\nany other thing. So the Nigerian attempt is welcomed.<\/p>\n
The Nigerians may or may not succeed with their newspaper --
\nonly time will tell. But, yes, welcome aboard.
\n-- Business Day, Johannesburg, South Africa<\/p>\n
Haifa suicide bombing<\/p>\n
To render the invasion of Iraq acceptable to Europe and the
\nmoderate Arab world, George W. Bush, solicited by Tony Blair and
\na distressed Europe, promised us that regime change in Iraq would
\nmake peace possible between Israelis and Arabs.<\/p>\n
But in Palestine, here is the result of six months without
\nSaddam Hussein: Terrorism continues and the war has now spread
\nbeyond Syria's borders.<\/p>\n
Nobody believes in the Road Map anymore, assuming that someone
\nonce took it seriously.<\/p>\n
The ideologies that have convinced Bush to invade Iraq have
\nalways warned that the root of the infection is in Iran and Saudi
\nArabia ... as well as in Syria.<\/p>\n
The calls are for an ever harder and more explicit
\ncondemnation of the Syrian regime.<\/p>\n
The accusations are predictably against Europe, which lets off
\nArafat and does not cut the financial and political ties with
\nHamas.<\/p>\n
The reprimands are for everyone, Arabs, Europeans, the United
\nNations -- everybody apart from American power that must be, in
\nblind faith, considered infallible.<\/p>\n
-- La Repubblica, Rome<\/p>\n
On Iraq aid<\/p>\n
The diplomats squiring US$20.3 billion through Congress for
\nreconstruction in Iraq make a sobering case for the money:
\nWithout dollars to get electricity flowing and factories open,
\nthere will be more job riots. Without billions in oil-field
\nupgrades, oil earnings will fall short again next year. Without
\nthe money to train Iraqi security forces, more Americans will
\nhave to fight and die.<\/p>\n
Now they have to try just as hard to retool the process of
\nspending that money, to avoid further cronyism and to reassure
\nAmericans and others that their aid money will be spent
\nfairly. ... All contributors want to know that Iraqi aid doesn't
\nequate to the Halliburton Rescue Act. There's reason to believe
\notherwise.<\/p>\n
In July, Vice President Dick Cheney's old firm Halliburton
\nreported an 11 percent leap in quarterly revenues tied to
\n\"government services work in the Middle East,\" an unbid $7
\nbillion contract. It was one of several such deals that U.S.
\nofficials say were premised on the need for pre-war secrecy and
\npost-war speed.<\/p>\n
Such arrangements are too cozy for comfort or credibility. The
\nBush administration must bar its cronies at the door.<\/p>\n
-- The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio<\/p>\n
The Israeli attack on Syria<\/p>\n
Amidst widespread condemnation of the Israeli air raid on
\nSyria, Israel continues to defend its attack as a form of
\nlegitimate self-defense. Israel claims that the camp that it
\nattacked is a training ground for Islamic Jihad.<\/p>\n
Israel is therefore once again pinned against the entire
\ninternational community but hopes to escape condemnation by
\nhaving Washington veto the Syrian-sponsored resolution condemning
\nthe attack and calling on Israel to cease and desist from
\nperpetrating acts of aggression against Syria.<\/p>\n
What is needed now is de-escalation and not escalation in the
\narea. The declaration of emergency in the Palestinian territories
\nby President Yasser Arafat could be the start of a more
\ndetermined Palestinian effort to reign in Palestinian militants,
\nwho continue to take the law into their hands and compromise the
\nsupreme Palestinian National interests.<\/p>\n
The Palestinian militants need to be controlled and brought
\nunder the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority. It
\nis the only way to give peace a chance on condition that Israel
\nwill reciprocate this Palestinian determination to bring order to
\nits ranks with a similar move to de-escalate the spiral of
\nviolence raging in the area.<\/p>\n
-- The Jordan Times, Amman, Jordan<\/p>\n
The leaking of a CIA
\noperative's identity<\/p>\n
It is not an exaggeration to suggest that lives were
\nendangered when someone told a newspaper columnist the name of a
\nwoman who was a covert employee of the Central Intelligence
\nAgency.<\/p>\n
... The FBI launched a probe of the incident several days into
\na controversy over accusations by the woman's husband, Joseph C.
\nWilson, that a White House official provided classified
\ninformation about his wife to reporters.<\/p>\n
Wilson believes the leak may have been retaliation for his
\nrole in embarrassing the Bush administration. Wilson, a former
\nambassador, undermined a claim made by the President during the
\nstate of the union address that Iraq had attempted to obtain
\nweapons-grade uranium from the African nation of Niger.<\/p>\n
... There is little chance an investigation -- either by the
\nFBI or by a special counsel -- will be able to prove who leaked
\nthe information. Presidential administrations have, over the
\ndecades, perfected the art of the undetected leak. ... But an
\ninvestigation is appropriate. And Ashcroft's Justice Department
\nshould be given the chance to prove itself before an independent
\ncounsel is called. Most of all, the Bush administration should
\nexamine its own house.<\/p>\n
If this was an innocent slip of the tongue regarding an open
\nsecret ... we need to know that. If, however, it was inspired by
\npolitical retaliation, it is in the president's best interests to
\nfind out who is responsible and let the legal system work. That's
\nthe only way to preserve what credibility his administration has
\nleft.<\/p>\n
-- The Morning News, Springdale, Arkansas<\/p>\n
California recall<\/p>\n
You shouldn't mock Arnold Schwarzenegger; what California
\ninvents, America adopts and Europe ends up imitating.<\/p>\n
You can laugh at the Terminator, running for governor of
\nAmerica's most populous state, stomping through his speeches with
\nthe strongest teutonic accent since Henry Kissinger.<\/p>\n
You can denounce the populist wave (that supported)
\nSchwarzenegger's candidacy as an example of a democracy gone mad.
\nBut this is the same kind of groundswell that made Ronald Reagan
\nthe first actor to be elected governor of California, and then
\npresident.<\/p>\n
Celebrity isn't Schwarzenegger's only asset. He's in tune with
\na changing political map ... voters from Latin America ...
\nrepresent 30 million Hispanic citizens nationwide.<\/p>\n
Yet California can't just be reduced to the glitter of
\nHollywood; for the weak, the poor and blacks, it's a tough place
\nto live. Schwarzenegger must not forget this truth: Like all
\npromised lands, California is also a place of hardship.
\n-- Le Figaro, Paris<\/p>\n
Le Monde, Paris, on the California recall:<\/p>\n
They have chosen. It's \"Schwarzy.\" That's just the way it
\ngoes, in California. Politics has become about credits. After
\nReagan the cowboy, now we have Schwarzenegger the terror, huge
\nivory smile, \"Terminator\" armed with broom to sweep away the
\ndreadful politicians that have ruined \"the golden State.\"<\/p>\n
... The casting is wicked. Just think about it. Take a film
\nposter, and change it to an electoral poster. Beware your choice
\nof hero. One does not become \"calife\" of California by producing
\nDiane Keaton on a platform, as did the deposed Gray Davis. The
\nbloody and brisk are needed, biceps instead of brains. Simple
\nwords, and especially not too many.<\/p>\n
...We will wait and see whether he is competent. Modestly, he
\ncompares himself to Mandela who, similarly, \"never has done any
\npolitics.\" With Arnold, his supporters believe, there is nothing
\nmore to worry about. Arnold, \"as good as gold,\" Arnold, their
\nGod.<\/p>\n
---<\/p>\n
---
\nThe Times, London, on the elections in Chechnya:<\/p>\n
There was never any doubt that Akhmad Kadyrov, the former
\nanti-Russian rebel, would win the presidential election in
\nChechnya. With all credible rivals already disqualified or forced
\nto withdraw, the man accused of using his 7,000-strong private
\nmilitia to intimidate any opposition could hardly fail. What is
\nmore, he had the endorsement of (Russian) President Vladimir
\nPutin, who ordered a military alert in the turbulent Caucasus
\nregion to guard the polling stations, close markets and ban from
\nthe roads all lorries that could harbor suicide bombers. ...<\/p>\n
Mr. Kadyrov is an unsavory character. Renouncing his decision
\nto join the jihad against Russia in 1994, he has since used his
\nsupport for the Kremlin not to curb the excesses of Russia's
\nundisciplined troops or to push for more aid to bombed-out
\nChechen civilians, but to build up his own power, his private
\narmy and the wealth amassed by extortion. ...<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, his flawed election is extremely important to
\nPresident Putin. Chechnya brought the Russian leader to power;
\nbut it hobbles his dealings with the outside world and his
\nefforts to push reform at home. ...<\/p>\n
Yesterday's election will help to stabilize Chechnya only if
\nit is followed by a real change in the Kremlin. First, Mr. Putin
\nmust get a grip on the Army, enforcing discipline, stamping out
\ncorruption and arms trading, and punishing human rights
\nviolators. Secondly, he must ensure that some of the money
\nearmarked for reconstruction is paid out and used as intended,
\ninstead of disappearing into warlords' accounts. Finally, he must
\nforce the new president to administer the ruined rump of his
\ncountry fairly and according to the law. As long as Chechnya
\nremains a wasteland, abandoned to criminals and terrorists, there
\nwill never be peace for the Chechens or for Russia.
\n---
\nSvenska Dagbladet, Stockholm, Sweden, on Israel's strike against Syria:<\/p>\n
If the Israeli raid can make Syria close the terrorists'
\nbattlefields Israel will have paid a small price for the
\ninternational criticism which has been presented in the Security
\nCouncil and other places (with the fight against global terrorism
\ntemporarily forgotten).<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, however, the reaction is more likely to come in
\nthe shape of further Hizbollah attacks from the Lebanese side of
\nthe border.<\/p>\n
The fact that Israel for the first time since the defensive
\nYom Kippur War in 1973 is carrying out military actions inside
\nSyria means that a dangerous line has been crossed. Israel should
\nhave first put forward its opinion and proof of Syria's guilt to
\nthe United Nations. Not only because it would have affected the
\nworld's understanding of an attack, but also because it would
\nhave increased the international pressure on a militarily and
\neconomically weakened Syria to take the narrow road.<\/p>\n
After the war in Iraq the fight against terrorism goes hand in
\nhand with an aspiration for increased freedom in the Arab world.
\nThis is also at stake if the conflict between Israel and Syria
\nescalates.
\n---
\nDagbladet, Oslo, Norway, on the elections in Chechnya:<\/p>\n
The winner is clear: Akhmad Kadyrov. He supposedly got about
\n85 percent of the votes. His closest challenger got about 6.6
\npercent. According to Chechen authorities the voter turnout was
\nover 80 percent. But no independent source could confirm the
\nnumbers. Nor were there any Western election observers. The
\nreason was that they did not want to lend legitimacy to the
\nelection with their presence.<\/p>\n
Among foreign commentators and independent Russian experts,
\nthe election was described as a farce. The three candidates who
\ncould have threatened Kadyrov all withdrew in recent months and
\nthe voter turnout and the result bring associations of the
\n\"elections\" in the Soviet Union, rather than of democracy.<\/p>\n
But as always, when it comes to abuses is Chenchya, the West
\nkeeps its lips sealed.
\n---<\/p>\n
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Frankfurt, Germany, on the
\nelections in Chechnya:<\/p>\n
Chechnya has a president again. He is elected, but still not
\nthe president of his people.<\/p>\n
Whether the election results and participation were falsified
\nor not barely plays a role -- because once it became clear that
\nAkhmad Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed governor, would have had no
\nchance to win halfway free elections, the Kremlin took the three
\ncandidates with the best chances out of the running.<\/p>\n
Putin himself decided that Kadyrov had to stay in power. ...<\/p>\n
What the Chechens want is an end to the killing and
\ninsecurity.<\/p>\n
They no longer want former president (Aslan) Maskhadov, whom
\nthey hold responsible for the chaotic years when radical Muslims
\nwere in charge.<\/p>\n
But neither do they want Kadyrov, who has brought them nothing
\ngood.<\/p>\n
This year alone, more than 300 people have disappeared in
\nChechnya. All sides are waging this war with the methods of
\nterror. Kadyrov's people are also involved, and many Chechens
\nhave sworn revenge.<\/p>\n
It is difficult to find a solution for Chechnya.<\/p>\n
But the Kremlin's way, which ignores the will of the Chechens,
\nleads to a dead end.<\/p>\n
It would be right, not only for the sake of the Chechens, but
\nalso in the interest of Russia, if the West put the subject back
\non its agenda.
\n---
\nHaaretz, Tel Aviv, on Haifa restaurant bombing:<\/p>\n
A Palestinian training camp in Syrian territory, close to
\nDamascus, was chosen as the target for the Israel Defense Forces'
\nresponse. ... It appears, however, that its principal purpose was
\nnot to bring death and destruction, but rather to steer Syrian
\nPresident Bashar Assad away from supporting actions against
\nIsrael.<\/p>\n
Israel has the right to move against the facilities, activists
\nand leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and other
\norganizations anywhere and at any time; but this does not testify
\nto the wisdom of such moves.<\/p>\n
The slope on which Syria and Israel could slide down into a
\nconflict between them -- whether it be in their own territories,
\nor in Lebanon -- is a steep and slippery one. There is a need for
\ntight control to prevent a move planned as minimalist from
\nleading to a major escalation.
\n--- MORE[<\/p>\n
GetAP 1.00 -- OCT 10, 2003 00:40:38<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/in-whom-should-we-trust-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }