Anti-KKN drives not serious: Survey

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri has failed to combat corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN), leaving many big KKN cases untouched during her first 100 days in power, a survey revealed.

More than half, 50.9 percent, of 800 respondents surveyed by the New Indonesian Alliance (PIB) said Megawati's Cabinet had failed to create an image that the present leadership was free of KKN because of numerous unresolved corruption cases. Only 21.5 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the way the government had handled corruption cases.

"Most respondents believe that Attorney General M.A. Rachman has not been serious in fighting corruption," the survey revealed.

On the economic front, 52.4 percent of respondents said they were not happy with the way Megawati's Cabinet had dealt with economic problems, pointing at the weakening rupiah, the high unemployment rate and the rising prices of several basic commodities. Up to 48.8 percent of respondents gave the thumbs down to the performance of Megawati's economic team under Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti.

Only 29.8 percent said that there had been an improvement in the economy since Megawati took over the leadership from Abdurrahman Wahid on July 23, 2001.

The majority of respondents, however, expressed satisfaction over the government's performance in maintaining order and security.

"At least 48.8 percent of respondents said that Megawati had managed to handle security and defense problems well and only 34.4 percent of respondents believed she had failed to handle the problems, while 16.9 percent answered 'do not know' to the questions," PIB Chairman Sjahrir told a media conference in Jakarta on Monday.

Regarding Megawati's foreign policy, 41.5 percent of respondents said that Megawati had succeeded, while 27.9 percent thought she had failed, 30.6 percent said they did not know.

The survey was conducted in 11 cities including Jakarta, Medan in North Sumatra, Bandung in West Java, Surabaya in East Java, Pontianak in West Kalimantan and Denpasar in Bali.

PIB conducted telephone interviews with a total of 800 respondents using random sampling with a sampling error of 3.4 percent.

During the media conference, Sjahrir also called on Taufik Kiemas, the husband of President Megawati Soekarnoputri, to resign from the House of Representatives claiming he could not carry out his duties as a legislator properly while also acting as the husband of the President.

"As the first husband, he already has his hands full," PIB Chairman Sjahrir told the media conference on Tuesday evening.

He said that one of the reasons why the public still believed President Megawati to be unable to improve the government's performance is due to conflicts of interest between politicians in both the executive and legislative institutions.

Sjahrir also urged Justice and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra and the head of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), A.M. Hendropriono, to leave their private jobs so that they could concentrate on their jobs in government.