Antigraft drive: Last hope?

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.