City panned for letting probe slide

City panned for letting probe slide

JAKARTA (JP): City councilors criticized the city
administration on Sunday for slow progress made in the
investigation of 1,942 malfeasance cases exposed since the
1994/1995 fiscal year.

An attachment note signed by Governor Sutiyoso to the city
draft budget for the 1999/2000 fiscal year, a copy of which was
made available to the Post, cited 1,941 malfeasance cases in the
administration between 1994 and 1998.

The note stated that 348 cases dealt with power misuse, 184
with corruption, 185 with land and housing affairs, 299 with the
environment, 480 with public services, 21 with bureaucracy, 140
with law affairs, 177 with personnel affairs cases and 107 with
national vigilance.

Only 486 cases, or 25 percent of the total figure, have been
investigated.

Contacted separately by The Jakarta Post, deputy head of the
United Development Party (PPP) faction Ali Imran Husein, member
of Commission A for administration Sylviana Murni, and head of
the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Lukman Mokoginta,
questioned the investigation approach.

Ali said the figures gave an impression of half-hearted
administration handling of the cases.

"Imagine only 25 percent of the malfeasance cases have been
investigated during the past five years.

"Moreover, the administration does not provide evidence about
the investigation of the 486 cases. How can we believe its
report? ...I am really disappointed," he said.

Ali said the cases should be handled by an institution higher
than the administration, such as the development finance
controller, as "it has been proven that the administration
repeatedly does not assiduously probe malfeasance cases".

Both Ali and Lukman said their factions would not hesitate to
push the administration to seriously pursue the investigation.

"The administration should be proactive... don't wait until
(the cases) bring about people's anger," Lukman said.

Sylviana said the administration was yet to show its
transparency, even though Sutiyoso had promised a change.

"Everybody has repeatedly urged the administration to be
transparent during the reform era, but I don't see any response,"
she said. (ind)