Sutiyoso asks for leads on corrupt officials<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Jakarta administration has announced it plans to reopen its
\npublic complaints mailbox to get feedback from the public
\nespecially about alleged corruption involving city officials.<\/p>\n
\"We need information from the public (on possible corruption).
\nThat's why we will reopen the mailbox,\" Governor Sutiyoso said on
\nMonday after meeting Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)
\nmembers at City Hall.<\/p>\n
However, residents could only write directly to Sutiyoso
\nthrough PO Box 0008 after the administration had legalized it in
\na decree, he said.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso promised to immediately follow up all complaints
\nfiled.<\/p>\n
\"We will establish a team to help follow up the complaints,
\nwhose members will involve non-governmental organization
\nactivists concerned with corruption practices.\"<\/p>\n
While, he acknowledged corruption existed in his
\nadministration, Sutiyoso said it was lower than in previous
\ngovernments thanks to a carrot-and-stick policy imposed on his
\nsubordinates.<\/p>\n
In 1997, the administration opened a similar complaints box to
\nreceive reports on corruption.<\/p>\n
The city also formed the Reform Implementation and Control
\nTeam (TP2R) to follow up the complaints and bring the evidence to
\nthe attention of police or prosecutors.<\/p>\n
However, in 2000, the administration dissolved the team after
\nthe city council criticized it for being ineffectual in following
\nup the complaints.<\/p>\n
No cases implicating high-ranking city officials were ever
\nbeen brought to court based on complaints made through the
\nmailbox.<\/p>\n
It is still not yet clear whether the new team will be given
\nlegal powers, or whether whistle-blowers will be given anonymity
\nor protection from defamation suits. None of these powers and
\nprotects were part of the first mailbox.<\/p>\n
At the meeting, KPK deputy chairman Tumpak Hatorangan
\nPanggabean said the commission was still investigating an alleged
\nmarkup in the procurement of new buses for the busway project.<\/p>\n
\"We are still delving into the case in cooperation with the
\nSupreme Audit Agency (BPK),\" Tumpak said.<\/p>\n
He said the commission would summon relevant city officials
\nfor questioning if it discovered adequate evidence pointing to
\ngraft.<\/p>\n
He called on the City Audit Agency to take an active role in
\ntracking down alleged corruption cases in the city agencies,
\noffices and companies.<\/p>\n
Critics have said the City Audit Agency mainly relied on
\ninformation made available by the public and media.<\/p>\n
They have also strongly criticized it for failing to provide
\ntransparent information to the public over its findings on
\nirregularities involving city officials.<\/p>\n
The agency reported early this year it had successfully
\ncompleted 102 cases of the 108 cases it investigated last year.<\/p>\n
At least 116 officials were involved in the cases and most had
\nreceived some punishment, ranging from warnings to dismissal, it
\nreported, without detailing the cases and punishment given.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sutiyoso-asks-for-leads-on-corrupt-officials-1447893297",
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