Bank Niaga and bribery

Bank Niaga and bribery

It is a bitter reality that in Indonesia you can practically
buy anything. This corrupt mentality has even been accepted as
normal behavior.

Now in the divestment of 51 percent of the shares of Bank
Niaga under the government's control, corruption is also heavy in
the air.

There were rumors that legislators from the House Commission
IX were bribed by the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA)
to ensure that the divestment process was plain sailing. The IBRA
chief was quick to dispel these rumors.

This divestment process is odd because there is only one
bidder, Malaysia's Commerce Asset Holding Berhad. That's why Kwik
Kian Gie, State Minister for National Development Planning said
this divestment was not logical. Despite this divestment, he
warned, the government still has to pay over Rp 1,000 trillion
for recapitalization bonds and their interest.

Kwik went against the grain of the government in the New Order
era. It is odd that even if his party, the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), is the ruling party now, his
voice still goes unheeded.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta