Ministers warned of nepotism<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In an effort to create clean governance,
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri has told ministers and director
\ngenerals in all ministries not to award any projects to or bestow
\nany unlawful benefits on her children and other family members.<\/p>\n
Megawati's husband Taufik Kiemas revealed at a meeting with
\nthe Editors Club on Wednesday night that the President would
\nblame the ministers if she found any member of her family
\nreceiving favors.<\/p>\n
\"If later it is found out that any of the children have
\nbenefited from any project, or anything else, it will be the
\nminister who will bear the blame,\" he said at the gathering.<\/p>\n
Taufik, himself a businessman, has vowed never to avail of any
\nunlawful advantages in his business arising from the elevation of
\nhis wife.<\/p>\n
Following her appointment as president, Megawati summoned all
\nher family members, including children, children-in-law and her
\nchildren's parents-in-law, and told them not to use her
\npresidency to obtain unlawful benefits.<\/p>\n
Megawati told the members of her family that she did not want
\nto be forced out of office because of corruption allegations. She
\nwould rather be put out of office for political reasons.<\/p>\n
Megawati's move is considered important for keeping the first
\nfamily free from corruption, as one of her children's parents-in-
\nlaw has reportedly been appointed as a commissioner of a
\nSingapore-based company that is owned by a noted local tycoon.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, when swearing in new Attorney General Muhammad
\nAbdurrachman, or M.A. Rachman as he is familiarly known, Megawati
\nreiterated that the new appointee must work hard to help create a
\nclean government.<\/p>\n
\"I hope that the new official heeds the public's desire for
\nbetter law enforcement, and helps to create clean and reputable
\ngovernment,\" Megawati said during her off-the-cuff speech.<\/p>\n
Megawati also told Rachman to put the Attorney General's
\nOffice in order and mend its the tarnished image.<\/p>\n
Rachman after the ceremony said that he would focus on
\nreforming the Attorney General's Office, and concentrate on
\nhandling the corruption and human rights cases which had been
\nleft pending by the late attorney general Baharuddin Lopa.<\/p>\n
Rachman's appointment as the new attorney general, however,
\nreceived a skeptical response from observers, but received a
\nthumbs-up from his predecessors and the Golkar Party.<\/p>\n
Noted lawyer and rights activist Todung Mulya Lubis said that
\nRachman had no clear track record to prove his integrity.<\/p>\n
\"Rachman's appointment is a surprise because we practically
\nknow nothing about him. We only know that he led the joint team
\nto investigate the East Timor human rights cases, but until now
\nwe haven't heard any more about it,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Rachman, according to Todung, is not an ideal choice as his
\nappointment could well be the result of a political compromise
\namong the members of the political elite.<\/p>\n
Sharing Todung's argument, another human rights activist,
\nHendardi, contended that because Rachman was an insider, his
\nlatest position being that of a specialist, Rachman would not be
\nable to effectively bring order to the Attorney General's Office
\nbecause he was part of the corrupt system.<\/p>\n
\"Believe me, he will find it impossible to combat corruption
\nwithin the office, which should be done before he handles the
\nmajor cases such as human rights abuses and corruption involving
\nbig names,\" said Teten Masduki, coordinator of Indonesian
\nCorruption Watch.<\/p>\n
However, both Teten and Todung agreed that Rachman deserved a
\nchance to prove his abilities.<\/p>\n
It is no secret that Rachman has several gray areas in his
\ntrack record, especially regarding human rights cases. Several
\nmajor human rights cases, such as those from the East Timor
\ndebacle, seemed to be going nowhere under his direction.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung applauded Rachman's
\nappointment as attorney general saying that as a career
\nprosecutor, Rachman deserved the position.<\/p>\n
\"We believe that he has a good track record and will succeed
\nin his job,\" Akbar said.<\/p>\n
Former attorneys general Sudjono C. Atmonegoro and Singgih
\nalso supported Rachman, saying that he would help uphold the
\nindependence of the Attorney General's Office.<\/p>\n
Caretaker attorney general Soeparman, who handed over his
\nduties to Rachman on Wednesday afternoon, also praised Megawati's
\nchoice and expressed confidence that Rachman would have the
\ncourage to settle all major corruption and human rights cases.<\/p>\n
Ismudjoko, a former deputy attorney general, described his old
\ncolleague Rachman as a low-profile, hard working and humorous
\nfellow. (dja\/bby\/pan)<\/p>",
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