Strong, respected govt required to combat corruption<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government's lack of legitimacy and political will has
\nallowed corruption to flourish, say activist students, the
\nvanguard of the country's reform movement.<\/p>\n
They also suggested that the country, which has been mired in
\nprotracted multidimensional crises, badly needs a powerful
\ngovernment with strong commitment to combating corruption.<\/p>\n
\"We need a strong government and national leaders with
\nexcellent leadership skills to combat corruption,\" Robert Nalenan
\nfrom the Indonesian Catholic Students Association (PMKRI) told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Fellow activist Kholis Malik from the Islamic Students
\nAssociation (HMI) concurred and suggested that an overhaul in the
\ncountry's state administration was necessary.<\/p>\n
\"Corruption is rampant in almost all sectors in both the
\ncentral and regional administrations,\" Kholis said.<\/p>\n
The two activists were commenting on a survey released by the
\nBerlin-based Transparency International that named Indonesia as
\none of the most corrupt countries in the world.<\/p>\n
According to the survey, Indonesia is the second most corrupt
\ncountry in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
\nafter Myanmar, and the third in Asia after Bangladesh and
\nMyanmar.<\/p>\n
Rampant corruption, collusion, nepotism practices in both the
\nbureaucracy and the private sector have been blamed for the
\neconomic crisis that has beleaguered the country since 1997, with
\nthe rupiah plunging and unemployment soaring.<\/p>\n
Students, who spearheaded the country's reform movement that
\nculminated in the downfall of former dictator Soeharto in May
\n1998, had demanded sweeping reforms, including the prosecution of
\nbig time corrupters.<\/p>\n
Five years after Soeharto's forced resignation, however,
\nIndonesia has yet to see a big time corrupter put behind bars.<\/p>\n
House of Representative Speaker Akbar Tandjung was sentenced
\nto three years in prison for his role in a high-profile financial
\nscandal involving the National Logistics Agency (Bulog).<\/p>\n
However, Akbar, who is also chairman of Golkar, the second
\nbiggest faction in the House, remains free pending appeal.<\/p>\n
Kwik Kian Gie, head of the National Development Planning Board
\nand a leader of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan), once said that corruption was much
\nworse now than in the past.<\/p>\n
Fellow PDI Perjuangan legislators Emir Moeis acknowledged that
\ncorruption still existed.<\/p>\n
Emir suggested that all offices tasked with supervising
\nfinancial affairs must focus their activities on the money
\nallocated for regional development.<\/p>\n
\"The potential corruption is there because the amount of money
\ndistributed to regional administrations is Rp 114 trillion ($13.4
\nbillion),\" Emir said.<\/p>\n
Separately, officials from the National Law Commission (KHN)
\ndisclosed on Wednesday that the government would set up a special
\ncourt to deal with corruption cases.<\/p>\n
The special court dealing with corruption cases will be first
\nset up in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The Attorney General's Office is doing the preparations for
\nthe setting up of that special court,\" KHN member Harkristuti
\nHarkrisnowo was quoted by Antara as saying in Sanur, Bali, on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Thirty 30 state prosecutors and 10 judges are to get special
\ncourses for the court, she added.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, KHN chairman J.E. Sahetapy said the House's
\nlegal commission was prepared to probe corruption cases
\nconsidered to be conducted improperly.<\/p>\n
Sahetapy said the commission would only be able to reopen
\ncorruption cases if there was a demand from the people to do so.<\/p>\n
He emphasized that corruption was rampant at all levels of
\nsociety. According to him, revision of existing laws would not be
\nenough to combat corruption.<\/p>\n
\"It must be combined with consistency and morality,\" he added.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/strong-respected-govt-required-to-combat-corruption-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }