Commitment to good governance 'must be genuine'

Commitment to good governance 'must be genuine'

JAKARTA (JP): Observers have lauded President Soeharto's
campaign for a credible government -- through his instruction
that ministers declare their personal wealth and donate their
first year's salaries to the poor -- but suggested the measures
be enshrined in law.

Human rights activist Asmara Nababan and former Golkar
legislator in the House of Representatives (DPR) Tadjuddin Noer
Said commented separately yesterday on the commitment to good
governance and concern for the poor.

They said the tenets should not be allowed to become
symbolical and temporary measures, rather they should be
translated into sustained practices.

"The ministers' wealth should not only be reported to the
President, but also to the public," Nababan told The Jakarta
Post.

"The ministers should disclose their wealth both before they
hold their positions and after their terms are over."

Nababan, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights,
said should there be any differences in an individual's wealth
before and after a term in office, the ministers should explain
it to the public.

Tadjuddin said he welcomed the ministers' willingness to
inform the President about their personal wealth.

"It's good if they (ministers) are willing and committed to
clean governance," he told the Post, "But, they should follow it
up with concrete actions, including the restructuring of the
legal system, law enforcement and changes in the political
system."

Commenting about Soeharto and the ministers' pledge to donate
their first year's basic salaries to the poor -- starting this
month -- Tadjuddin said it should be applied quickly and further
measures taken.

"We are very grateful about the officials' (planned) donation
to the poor. Yet, there should be (other) measures to help people
survive the prolonged monetary crisis."

For instance, the government should abort its reported plan to
raise public transportation fares and fuel prices, he said.

"The government should also economize and simplify various
state events, which usually involve a large amount of state
money."

Nababan believes the donation campaign for the poor is no more
than a symbolic gesture and fails to get to the heart of the
problem -- poverty itself.

He called the act an effort by the government to win people's
hearts and trust. But, now that the commitment has been voiced,
it should be made into law.

"Donating money to the poor should no longer be merely a moral
obligation. It should become a legal obligation."

Sociologist J. Nasikun from the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada
University, however, is opposed to the donation program.

"It will only add to speculation about government officials'
corrupt and collusive practices because (the donation would)
convince people the officials' side incomes are actually more
than their salaries," he said.

Minister of Home Affairs R. Hartono has admitted that donating
one year's salary to the poor would cause the ministers no
hardship at all as their allowances and benefits are indeed
bigger than their basic salaries.

What the government needs to do to restore public confidence
is to bring down the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, he
said.

"It is the soaring prices of basic commodities that matters
most to the people."

Asked to comment on the campaign against corruption, Nababan
said an independent anticorruption body should be established
charged with preventing corrupt practices and commencing legal
action against offenders.

"Indonesia is widely considered one of the most corrupt
countries in the world. We, therefore, need extraordinary
measures to deal with the rampant corruption here."

He said the anticorruption body must have the authority to
monitor and investigate whenever there were indications of
corruption.

"Yet, further investigation should be conducted by authorized
bodies, either the Attorney General's Office or the police."
(23/imn)