Overhaul needed<\/p>\n
If there is one thing that has almost managed to divert the
\nattention of Indonesians amid the strains and expectations in the
\nwake of Monday's general election, it is the corruption charges
\nwhich the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) leveled against
\nAttorney General Andi Muhammad Ghalib. Or, to be more precise, it
\nis the official reaction from the government to the accusations.<\/p>\n
The ICW, an independent citizens corruption watchdog set up
\nshortly after the fall of president Soeharto in May, dropped its
\nbombshell on Thursday last week -- Ghalib's 53rd birthday,
\nincidentally -- when it made public its findings of the transfer
\nof Rp 450 million (US$56,250), by two prominent businessmen,
\nPrajogo Pangestu and The Nin King, to a private bank account of
\nGhalib.<\/p>\n
The news caused an immediate furor among the public, already
\nsuspicious about what it perceives as Ghalib's foot-dragging in
\ninvestigating reports of corruption by Soeharto, his family and
\nclose associates during the three decades he was in power.
\nCompounding the suspicion was the fact that both businessmen were
\nnot long ago summoned for questioning by the Attorney General's
\nOffice over suspected corruption. Lawyer Denny Kalimang found it
\nnecessary to explain to the media that the money was donated by
\nhis two clients to support the Indonesian Wrestling Association,
\nwhich Ghalib chairs.<\/p>\n
Making matters worse for Ghalib, the ICW came up with more of
\nwhat it regarded as questionable bank transfers to the accounts
\nof Ghalib and his wife, Andi Murniati, in all amounting to a
\ntotal of Rp 1.8 billion. To top this, ICW coordinator Teten
\nMasduki expressed surprise at the huge amount of Ghalib's
\npersonal savings -- Rp 13 billion as of February -- which he
\nconsidered disproportionate to the attorney general's salary of
\nRp 7.5 million a month. More suspect dealings were reported by
\nother media publications, including the news magazine Tempo,
\nwhich quoted senior officials at Ghalib's office as saying that
\nthe attorney general kept other "official funds", such as money
\nfor the construction of a mosque on the office's grounds, in his
\nprivate bank account.<\/p>\n
Since Ghalib is an army general, the ICW submitted a report of
\nthe dealings to the military police, but no action appears to
\nhave been taken so far. The organization planned to meet with
\nPresident B.J. Habibie to recommend that the President dismiss
\nGhalib from his post to ensure an investigation into his case can
\nbe started without any conflicts of interest. In the meantime
\nGhalib, who has denied any wrongdoing, has said he will sue the
\nICW for defamation. How all this will end remains to be seen.<\/p>\n
One of the disheartening things to note about corruption cases
\nin this country is that, despite the official pledges of
\nbureaucratic reform, the law enforcement machinery is usually
\nslow to act on public complaints of corruption in the
\nbureaucracy. Instead, it is usually the complainant who is
\nsummoned for questioning, although their cases seldom end up in
\ncourt. In this particular case, the ICW may perhaps congratulate
\nitself for so far keeping itself out of trouble. Bank Indonesia,
\nthe central bank, has said it intends to look into the state of
\naffairs at Ghalib's bank for breaching of banking
\nconfidentiality.<\/p>\n
One may remember the earlier case of the scanned telephone
\nconversation purportedly between Ghalib and Habibie regarding the
\ninvestigation of Soeharto for suspected corruption, collusion and
\nnepotism during his rule. Although the conversation clearly
\nindicated a lack of sincerity to pursue the case as mandated by
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the law enforcement
\napparatus never reacted to public calls to question both, or
\neither. Instead, it was quick to summon for questioning
\nreporters who leaked the story to find out how and where the leak
\noccurred.<\/p>\n
With the presence of a sense of justice and security being a
\nmajor prerequisite for establishing order and stability in the
\ncommunity, clearly a total renewal of our law enforcement and
\njudiciary systems is one of the first things the new government
\nmust accomplish before it can even think of rebuilding the nation
\nfrom the wreckage left behind by the New Order regime.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/overhaul-needed-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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