Start with big fish, Mar'ie says<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Amid the government's apparent foot-dragging
\nefforts to try former president Soeharto over alleged corruption,
\nformer finance minister Mar'ie Muhammad said on Saturday that
\nfighting it \"should start from the big fish\".<\/p>\n
Making the issue a political commodity instead of pursuing the
\nalleged corruptors indiscriminately would simply be
\n\"counterproductive\" to the country's campaign to eradicate
\ncorruption, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Corruption always happens due to a monopoly of power,\"
\nMar'ie, the chairman of the Indonesian Transparency Society
\n(MTI), said in a speech he delivered during a launching of three
\nbooks on corruption eradication.<\/p>\n
Calls for Soeharto -- as well as all members of his family and
\ncronies -- to be brought to court have been repeated since his
\ndownfall in May last year.<\/p>\n
President B.J. Habibie, who is also Soeharto's former
\nconfidant and hand-picked successor, promised that his government
\nwould complete Soeharto's case before the June 7 general
\nelection.<\/p>\n
Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra is now being
\ntried for the alleged embezzlement of state money said to amount
\nto Rp 96 billion.<\/p>\n
To the public's joke, however, the same court exonerated
\nformer State Logistics Agency (Bulog) chief Beddu Amang -- who
\nhad a related case to Tommy's -- on grounds of incomplete
\ndossiers on him.<\/p>\n
Attorney General Lt. Gen. Andi M. Ghalib has repeatedly said
\nhis office was continuing its investigation into Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Through a decree issued during its special session last
\nNovember, the People's Consultative Assembly ordered the
\ninvestigation into Soeharto and his family's alleged corruption.<\/p>\n
Mar'ie, who is a former aide of Soeharto as well, but known as
\n\"Mr. Clean\", said that corruption in the past stemmed from the
\nlack of power checks and balances.<\/p>\n
\"A dispersion of power is needed,\" he said during the book-
\nlaunching speech.<\/p>\n
Development Financial Comptroller (BPKP) chief Soedarjono also
\nattended the event and said the House of Representatives
\ncontributed to the rampant corruption.<\/p>\n
\"The House lacks the capacity to control the implementation of
\nlaws. Among other things, this happens due to its poor
\nrecruitment,\" Soedarjono said.<\/p>\n
An example he cited was he frequently saw a House hearing with
\nthe government fully packed only during the opening. \"Sometimes
\nthey quit the session before we answered their questions,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The books launched were Peran Partai Politik dalam Memperkuat
\nDPR sebagai Langkah Awal Pemberantasan Korupsi di Masa Mendatang
\n(Roles of Political Parties in Empowering the House of
\nRepresentatives as a First Step to Eradicate Corruption), Upaya
\nPemberantasan Korupsi: Menuju Indonesia Baru yang Beradab dan
\nDemokratis (Corruption Eradication Efforts: Toward a Civilized
\nand Democratic New Indonesia) and Korupsi dan Tata Nilai Bangsa
\nIndonesia (Corruption and Indonesian's Values).<\/p>\n
The books were copublished by the MTI and the BPKP.<\/p>\n
Mar'ie said corruption was basically an abuse of power for
\npersonal interests.<\/p>\n
For instance, a power monopoly that allowed corruption was
\nreflected in the procurement of equipment through public tender.
\nMar'ie did not elaborate, but said, \"don't trust the officials
\ninvolved too much\".<\/p>\n
Mar'ie said that a certain environment must be created within
\nthe government to thrust someone into \"thinking it over 1,000
\ntimes\" before deciding to become corrupt.<\/p>\n
The environment's \"concerns and alertness\" must be mustered,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Recent reports carried in the mass media said that there had
\nbeen corruption within the government's Social Safety Net
\nprograms funded through World Bank loans. Officials have
\nvehemently denied the reports.<\/p>\n
The World Bank, however, decided to delay the disbursement of
\nits last chunk of loans that was slated for March 30, citing
\nfears that the money was being used for the government's
\npolitical agenda.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the alleged leakage, Mar'ie said that the MTI
\nwould write to Habibie on the organization's monitoring of the
\nprograms funded by the social safety net schemes.<\/p>\n
\"The letter will contain recommendations, input from various
\nsociety's circles, data from the National Bureau of Statistics
\nand BPKP's evaluation,\" he said. (aan)<\/p>",
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