Antigraft drive: Last hope?

The decision by the Attorney General's Office to declare House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung a suspect in a graft case could not have been better timed. The drive to eradicate corruption, one of the goals of the reform movement, has slowed down so significantly this past year as to raise serious doubts about the government's sincerity.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri's administration, now already in its sixth month, has little to show for in terms of launching corruption investigations, let alone in sealing convictions. The general impression remains the way it has always been these last three decades: Impunity is still the order of the day when it comes to corruption.

Past efforts to punish corruptors have failed miserably. Former president Soeharto remains a free man, as do almost all his relatives and all but one of his cronies. The billions of dollars of wealth they plundered are untouchable, while more people have become impoverished and the state has practically gone bankrupt.

Not surprisingly, the public has become skeptical about the government's anti-corruption drive. Handled properly, Akbar's graft case could provide the shot in the arm needed to reinvigorate the government's commitment and restore public confidence and support.

The Rp 40 billion ($4 million) in funds involved in the Bulog scandal that has implicated Akbar may seem trivial relative to the billions stolen by Soeharto's relatives and cronies, but that is hardly the issue. Going by what investigators have learned, this case is about a government official misusing his power.

Akbar is being accused of misappropriating money belonging to Bulog, the state logistics agency, in his capacity as secretary of state under President B.J. Habibie in 1999.

There is another compelling reason why the administration must pursue this graft case with particular vigor: Akbar, and the Golkar Party which he chairs, have used every power at their disposal to frustrate all efforts to punish past corruptors, undermining the entire antigraft campaign and the reform movement.

Success in seeing this case through to a satisfactory conclusion, which means nothing less than securing a court conviction, could pave the way for the government to go after other, bigger graft cases. It may seem like a long shot, but it is worth a try. As one of the three political pillars of the tyrannical Soeharto regime, it is simply beyond comprehension that Golkar today is still given the freedom to block just about every other reform program. It's time that we put a stop to it.

The decision to name Akbar as a suspect has other important implications besides jump-starting the anti-graft campaign.

Questions must now be raised about whether or not Akbar still has the moral authority to lead the House of Representatives, or for that matter, Golkar, which, despite its tainted history, is still the country's second largest party.

Akbar has not helped his reputation by being less than candid during earlier investigations into his role in the Bulog scandal. Even if he feels that he is able to prove his innocence later on, the most honorable thing for him to do is to step aside, both from the House and Golkar, pending a resolution of his case.

Akbar's graft case should also become food for thought for Golkar. If it wants to be accepted as a fully reformed party, it should start purging itself of those remaining members who are still too closely identified with the past corrupt regime. This is the least Golkar can do, next to dissolving itself or finding a new name, if it ever hopes to play a positive role in rebuilding this nation's future.

For the Megawati administration, Akbar's graft case is not only a litmus test of the sincerity of its campaign to eradicate corruption, but could also be its last chance to win back public confidence. Given the endless rhetoric about clean government and good governance, the public has become very disillusioned by the government's repeated failure to punish past corruptors. This administration simply cannot afford to bungle another case without risking the loss of public support.