Susilo vows to clean up graft<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono vowed on Thursday to begin
\nridding his office of corruption, part of a top-down reform drive
\nto stamp out the practice that infects all levels of government
\nin the country.<\/p>\n
\"We want to (start) cleaning up our own house. (We'll see)
\nwhether there are violations, losses of assets or misuse (of
\nmoney) in the operations of foundations ... It is important to
\nask the people -- all of us -- to eradicate corruption, but we
\nmust start with ourselves and clean up our own houses,\" Susilo
\nsaid after meeting with ministers and other top state officials
\nto discuss the government's antigraft campaign.<\/p>\n
He said the government would soon audit the Presidential
\nOffice, the Vice President Office, the Office of the Cabinet
\nSecretary, and the Office of the State Secretary, including a
\nnumber of its foundations.<\/p>\n
He said that the Finance and Development Comptroller (BPKP)
\nwould audit state assets, while the Supreme Audit Agency and the
\nEradication Corruption Commission (KPK) would be invited to look
\ninto possible abuses in offices of government.<\/p>\n
Susilo has put corruption eradication among the top priorities
\nof this government. He asserted on Thursday that the
\nanticorruption campaign launched six months ago had produced
\npositive results.<\/p>\n
This month, the antigraft court has convicted three high-
\nranking government officials for corruption, including the
\nsuspended Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh, and two senior officials
\nat the Ministry of Communications, Harun Letlet and Tarsisius
\nWalla.<\/p>\n
However, the most high-profile of the graft criminals, Puteh,
\nto the dismay of anticorruption activists has been able to escape
\njail and is under \"city detention\" in Jakarta until his appeal,
\nwhen some observers believe he will walk free.<\/p>\n
Despite this, prosecutors and the KPK continue to investigate
\nother high profile cases.<\/p>\n
Susilo said that he would hold a meeting once a month to
\nmonitor the progress of the anticorruption drive.<\/p>\n
At the meeting, Susilo mentioned he had an eight-step plan to
\ncurb corruption but did not give any further details.<\/p>\n
He said the government aimed to curb graft in the procurement
\nof goods and services by ministries, state-owned companies and
\ninstitutions.<\/p>\n
\"The state has suffered huge losses from corruption in the
\nprocurement area,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also assured international donors and the public the
\ngovernment would make sure the massive amount of funds dedicated
\nfor the rehabilitation and reconstruction of tsunami-hit Aceh
\nwould not be abused.<\/p>\n
Efforts to hunt down some 21 corrupt officials and bankers or
\nbusinessmen who have fled the country would also be intensified,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
In taxation, the government would focus on the country's top
\n500 corporate taxpayers to make sure they paid their public dues.<\/p>\n
\"Tax and excise are the bones of our state income. Violations
\nwill disturb our State Budget. We remind (businesses) to pay in
\naccordance with law. Otherwise, it's a crime and is subject to
\npunishment,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Finally, the government would also continue to hunt down
\nfinanciers of illegal logging activities in the country, he said.<\/p>\n
KPK chief Taufiqurrahman Ruki welcomed the President's
\nantigraft campaign.<\/p>\n
\"I urged the President to create a spirit among bureaucrats to
\nintensify corruption eradication efforts, or at least try to
\nprevent corrupt practices as most of them think corruption is an
\nordinary thing,\" he said.<\/p>",
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