New government must get tough against big-fish corruptors<\/p>\n
Todung Mulya Lubis, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Amid the still reverberating vow of President Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono to eradicate corruption, we find ourselves confronting
\nthe bitter reality that Indonesia remains among the world's most
\ncorrupt countries.<\/p>\n
Of the 146 countries that Transparency International surveyed,
\nIndonesia ranks 137th, a position only slightly ahead of
\nTajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Paraguay, Chad, Myanmar,
\nBangladesh and Haiti. This also shows that among the members of
\nthe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesia,
\nalong with Myanmar, is more corrupt than fellow ASEAN countries
\nlike Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the
\nPhilippines and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
This 2004 Corruption Perception Index shows that in the past
\nfive years, little significant progress has been made in the
\neradication of corruption here. Since Indonesia was first
\nincluded in the Corruption Perception Index, it has always found
\nitself ranked low with a score of about 2. On a scale of 0 to 10,
\na 2 is embarrassing, to say the least.<\/p>\n
Singapore, on the other hand, has a score of 9.3 and is ranked
\nfifth, while Malaysia has a score of 5.0 at 39th. Thailand,
\nmeanwhile, is in 66th with a score of 3.6, Hong Kong in 16th has
\na score of 8.0, while South Korea is 47th with a score of 4.5.<\/p>\n
Indeed, it is no exaggeration to conclude that the
\nadministrations of Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati have
\nfailed to eliminate corruption. Only a very small number of
\ncorruptors have been taken to court, while the majority of them
\nare still at large. Ironically, many of them have not only been
\npardoned through a Release and Discharge scheme and upon the
\nissuance of a letter for the termination of investigation, more
\ncommonly known by its acronym SP3. Obviously, the anticorruption
\nefforts undertaken by these three administrations exemplify NATO
\n-- No Action Talk Only.<\/p>\n
Has corruption really become such a serious problem? Does the
\nCorruption Perception Index reflect the actual corruption taking
\nplace? The answer is no.<\/p>\n
The Corruption Perception Index is a collection of
\n\"perceptions\" that many circles -- particularly businessmen,
\nprofessionals and social activists -- have about the corruption
\nplaguing the country. In other words, the index is a poll of
\npolls.<\/p>\n
For us in Indonesia, although we have never had an idea of the
\nmagnitude of corruption here, we are convinced that corruption is
\npracticed systemically, that it is rampant and ubiquitous.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Audit Agency indicates in every annual report that
\ntrillions of rupiah have been \"lost\" in budgetary \"leaks\" and,
\nironically, the biggest leaks can be traced to the prosecutor's
\noffices -- the very institution responsible for eradicating
\ncorruption. Against this fact, we may wonder whether we have any
\nhope left at all that corruption will ever be eradicated,
\nregardless of the establishment of the extraordinarily powerful
\nCorruption Eradication Commission.<\/p>\n
Much corruption is found among civil servants, although it
\nmust be noted that corruption, as in bribery, is also common
\npractice among businessmen and professionals, such as accountants
\nand lawyers).<\/p>\n
We have a relatively comprehensive legislation for the
\neradication of corruption and it carries heavy penalties.
\nUnfortunately, the government seems rather reluctant to make
\nefficient use of this legislation. We need shock therapy to
\neradicate corruption.<\/p>\n
It may be necessary for the government to find an island,
\nwhere corruptors will receive the heaviest penalty possible. This
\nisland could be called the Island of Corruptors. After the wealth
\nthey accumulated through corruption has been confiscated, they
\nmust live on this island, working in the fields and repenting
\ntheir misdeeds.<\/p>\n
Susilo's administration has made its promise to enforce the
\nlaw and eradicate corruption. The great challenge facing the new
\nadministration is removing Indonesia from the list of most
\ncorrupt countries in next year's Corruption Perception Index. If
\nthis administration has its own vision and courage, it can
\naccomplish many things.<\/p>\n
We give them a chance to do what must be done, and challenge
\nthe new administration to take the big fish of corruption to
\ncourt in its first 100 days in office, as it has promised.<\/p>\n
Thus, we will see whether Susilo and his United Indonesia
\nCabinet will be consistent and true to its word -- or whether it
\nwill provide us with just another example of NATO.<\/p>\n
The writer is a lawyer and human rights activist.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/new-government-must-get-tough-against-big-fish-corruptors-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }