Church bodies join campaign to combat corruption
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) has joined other religious groups in stating their commitment to take on part of the responsibility in combating corruption.
The Indonesian Bishops Council (KWI), representing Catholics, and earlier the country's two largest Islamic organizations Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, had voiced similar commitment for the campaign.
PGI chairman Nathan Setiabudi said the movement would involve combating corruption at all levels ranging from executives and members of PGI itself to the country's politicians.
Anti-corruption fighters such as Teten Masduki of the Indonesian Corruption Watch has said the efforts involving the country's two largest Islamic organizations would be the "last resort". He cited their vital role to change ingrained, pervasive cultural values that lead to permissiveness towards corruption in the world's largest Islamic country.
Nathan said that rampant corruption and "money politics" have become topics in a series of PGI meetings, including its latest plenary meeting in October and he emphasized that he would start the "moral movement" within the organization first, while "other people around us will also learn (of the issue)."
"During our plenary meeting, we expressed concerns about rampant nepotism, collusion and corruption because such practices have hampered the country's efforts towards economic and political recovery.
"We (the PGI leaders) also concluded that people are actually ready to combat the improper practices, but, of course, without a strong commitment and political will from the government, the problems will remain," Nathan said on the sidelines of a seminar on martial law in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.
The priest said that PGI supported the movement recently promoted by NU and Muhammadiyah.
The latter organizations, in cooperation with a non governmental organization, the Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to fight corruption.
Leaders Hasyim Muzadi from NU and Sjafii Maarif from Muhammadiyah also agreed to publish a handbook on an Islamic interpretation of corruption.
KWI has urged its Catholic followers to vote only for candidates with clean track records during the elections next year, regardless of religious or political affiliation.
KWI Chairman Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja said that Catholics in Indonesia "are responsible to develop a clean government, despite our status as a minority."
Ahead of next year's general elections, KWI will also issue guidelines to provide Catholic followers with a clear background of the basic problems facing the country, including money politics, huge foreign debts and environmental destruction.
Analysts have said that despite any attempt at "reform," the old diseases of money politics and nepotism would remain the main problems surrounding the 2004 general elections.
Nathan said, "I believe that combating corruption in all its forms is not as easy as we say because the practices have developed and now infiltrate every system in the country ... just like an octopus."
He added that "only strong leaders with strong commitment would be able to mobilize the public to oppose the malfeasance."