'It's time to act on corruptors'<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It was high time that President Megawati Soekarnoputri stopped
\nmaking promises and started taking action to combat corruption,
\ncollusion and nepotism (KKN), critics said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The lack of action on high profile cases involving retired and
\nserving bureaucrats, businesspeople and the military only eroded
\npeople's trust in the government's commitment to combat KKN, they
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri repeated her pledge to
\neradicate KKN in her year-end speech on New Year's eve.<\/p>\n
"Megawati still tries to convince the pessimists, but she will
\nfail to win people's hearts and minds unless she can show real
\nactions and set an example," Teten Masduki, coordinator of
\nIndonesian Corruption Watch, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Sharing Teten's view is Farid R. Faqih of Government Watch.<\/p>\n
"What Megawati better do now is to ask the attorney general
\n(M.A. Rachman) to handle the 80 corruption cases inherited by his
\npredecessor, the late Baharuddin Lopa. No more promises," Farid
\ntold the Post.<\/p>\n
Teten suggested two things that Megawati should do to win back
\ntrust in her government as far as the anticorruption crusade was
\nconcerned.<\/p>\n
First, take to court high-profile cases now frozen at the
\nAttorney General's Office as they were the yard stick to measure
\nher government's success in dealing with corruption, he said.<\/p>\n
Teten mentioned cases allegedly involving former president
\nSoeharto, Golkar Chairman Akbar Tandjung, and Deputy Speaker of
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly Ginanjar Kartasasmita. Other
\ncases included those involving the state owned electricity
\ncompany PLN and cases involving tens of thousands of trillion
\nrupiah in the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance Program (BLBI).<\/p>\n
Second, reform bureaucracy to reduce corrupt practices in her
\ngovernment by, among others, simplifying bureaucratic procedures
\nthat had become the traditional source of corruption, he said.<\/p>\n
"Bureaucratic reform is needed to make it more efficient. The
\nbureaucracy is rampantly corrupt from Jakarta down to the regions
\nand is feared to worsen with regional autonomy," Teten said.<\/p>\n
Farid noted that one of the President's major challenges was
\npreventing her relatives and close friends from exploiting her
\nposition for their business interests.<\/p>\n
"Failure to do so would only further undermine public
\nconfidence in her government, believing that she is not serious
\nabout combating corruption," he said.<\/p>\n
Gowa estimates that last year, some Rp 100 trillion in state
\nmoney was lost to corruption.<\/p>\n
"Had the corruption not occurred, the government would not
\nhave had all the trouble with its budget deficit and the people
\nwould not have to pay more for their electricity, telephone and
\nfuel bills."<\/p>\n
Megawati's commitment to eradicating KKN was also questioned
\nby the Indonesian Society for Transparency (MTI).<\/p>\n
Its chairman, Sudirman Said, said that the lack of action had
\nmade corruptors more "daring".<\/p>\n
"Corruptors can play with the law. With the stolen money and
\nsupport from greedy lawyers, they can collude with the police,
\nprosecutors, and judges," Sudirman said.<\/p>\n
MTI noted that the government's achievements in resolving
\ncorruption cases were sending Soeharto's crony Muhammad 'Bob'
\nHasan to jail and capturing Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo
\n"Tommy" Mandala Putra after 11 months on the run.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/its-time-to-act-on-corruptors-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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