Awaiting presidential permit

Awaiting presidential permit

The Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) has been curious about police reaction to its reports on nine "unscrupulous" officials whose final reports on their wealth are likely to have been found implicated in acts of deceit.

According to the commission, the nine officials include Attorney General M.A. Rachman, South Kalimantan Governor Syahril Darham, East Nusa Tenggara Governor Piet. A. Tallo and Tana Toraja Regent J.A. Situru.

The commission sent its reports to the National Police Headquarters a year ago, but the police have yet to respond.

National Police spokesman Isnp. Gen. Basyir Barmawi said however, that investigation was proceeding normally in accordance with the procedure. He blamed the absence of a presidential permit to interrogate the officials for the slow legal process. The police had sent an official request to the President, he confirmed.

Things are clear now that the problem is at the State Secretariat. However, State Secretary Bambang Kesowo always refuses to answer what is really going on with processing the presidential permit.

Such uncertainty is obviously against the government's spirit when it established the commission in 1999 to eradicate corruption.

This spirit has apparently been perceived in different ways by law enforcers and society. The KPKPN report on the allegedly unscrupulous judges in the high-profile Manulife case was abruptly dropped by the police, who said they had not detected any crime.

The government's seriousness in eradicating corruption is therefore at stake: The issuance of a permit for interrogating state officials is a relatively simple matter.

-- Koran Tempo, Jakarta