Wanted: An attorney general<\/p>\n
The government's drive to eradicate corruption has taken a big
\ndent with the recent allegations of corruption against Attorney
\nGeneral M.A. Rachman, the very man who is supposed to be leading
\nthe official campaign. This is a campaign that can only be led by
\nsomeone with an impeccable record, untainted past, strong
\nintegrity and clean reputation. The slightest whiff of graft,
\nsuch as the current allegations against Rachman, was bound to
\ndestroy the credibility of the campaign, and ultimately that of
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri's administration.<\/p>\n
As it is, the government has been struggling to convince the
\nincreasingly skeptical public that it is serious in its campaign
\nagainst KKN, the Indonesian acronym that stands for corruption,
\ncollusion and nepotism. The government's record on this front has
\nbeen poor, to say the least. And this is a coalition government
\nmade up of all the major political parties, all of which
\ncampaigned on an anti-KKN platform during the 1999 general
\nelection.<\/p>\n
Rachman, of course, has to answer for many of the government's
\nfailures, certainly the ones that occurred since he took up the
\ntop job of government prosecutor in August last year.<\/p>\n
Some of the corruption cases that reached the courts, most
\nnotably the one involving Speaker of the House of Representatives
\nAkbar Tandjung for example, were poorly prepared by government
\nprosecutors. You didn't need a law degree to predict the outcome
\nof most of these cases: The suspects walked free, or, as in the
\ncase of Akbar Tandjung, they got off too lightly.<\/p>\n
So much for the anti-KKN rhetoric.<\/p>\n
At a time like this, President Megawati needs to shore up
\npublic support if the campaign against KKN is to have any
\ncredibility or chance of success. In fact, much of the
\ngovernment's credibility today hinges on it making some headway
\nin the current war on KKN. She cannot afford to lose the trust
\nthat the public has placed in her. She can, however, afford to
\nlose Rachman, given his less-than-impressive record over the past
\nyear, and now the graft allegations.<\/p>\n
Of course, so far Rachman is only alleged to have committed
\ngraft by the Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN).
\nOrdinarily, allegations alone are not sufficient grounds to
\nsuspend a government official. But this is no ordinary government
\nofficial. He is leading the anti-graft campaign.<\/p>\n
What destroyed Rachman's credibility the most, however, was
\nthe fact that he was less than honest when answering questions
\nposed by KPKPN. The commission has been looking into the origins
\nof some of his assets that raised eyebrows, considering their
\nvalue and his salary as a career government prosecutor.<\/p>\n
One asset in question was a Rp 500 billion (US$560,000)
\nproperty in Cinere, a suburb south of Jakarta, while another was
\nthe two bank deposit accounts totaling some Rp 90 million. His
\nclaim that the Cinere property belonged to his daughter and was
\nbought with money collected from her wedding gifts, and that the
\nbank deposits came from fees he collected as a legal consultant,
\nwas wholly unsatisfactory.<\/p>\n
It has always been an open secret that most government
\nprosecutors are corrupt, and that prosecutors and judges
\nregularly accept gifts from suspects or plaintiffs in legal cases
\nwithout any qualms. The popular term \"court mafia\" emerges from
\nthe way judges, prosecutors and trial lawyers gang up to extract
\nas much money as possible from people seeking, or more likely,
\navoiding justice.<\/p>\n
This must leave you wondering why we have entrusted government
\nprosecutors to lead the anti-KKN campaign in the first place. But
\nthis latest disclosure about Attorney General Rachman is still
\ndamaging to the credibility and reputation of the government
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
If Rachman was picked by President Megawati from among the top
\ncareer government prosecutors last year because of his record and
\nreputation, we hate to think what the others were like. Outsiders
\nappointed to the job in the past have not done much better.
\nMarzuki Darusman, attorney general between 1999 and 2001,
\nprivately complained about the brick wall he found inside the
\nAttorney General's Office when trying to eradicate corruption.<\/p>\n
President Megawati was not too far off the mark in her speech
\non Armed Forces Day on Saturday when she said that it was now
\nwidely perceived that KKN had become more rampant during these
\nlast four years of the so-called reform era. What she failed to
\nrecognize is that part of the problem is right under her nose:
\nShe does not have a capable attorney general to conduct the
\ncampaign effectively and efficiently.<\/p>\n
If widespread corruption was what brought this country to
\neconomic bankruptcy or near-collapse four years ago, the same
\ncorruption, if not more widespread, is now holding back the
\nnation's struggle to get back on its feet.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that President Megawati needs a new attorney
\ngeneral, one who is firm and strong, and, most of all, clean and
\nuntainted. The big question, however, is this: Is there anyone at
\nall out there who fits the bill?<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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