Common perception necessary in fighting corruption: Activist
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Anticorruption activist Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas called for closer cooperation on Friday between the planned Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the Supreme Audit Body (BPK) and the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) in fighting endemic corruption in the country.
Erry, one of the winners of 2003 Moch. Hatta Anticorruption Award, argued that such cooperation was necessary to form a common perception among relevant institutions as to how to eliminate corruption, which has pushed the country to near bankruptcy.
"We have to have a common perception and communication with those agencies," he said during screening for candidates for the leadership of the KPK here on Friday.
Erry, who is a former president director of state copper company PT Timah, also said it was imperative that KPK leaders make a list of corruption cases, especially those allegedly involving businesspeople and cronies of former iron-fisted president Soeharto.
Aside from Erry of Transparency International Indonesia (TII), former chairman of the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) Bambang Widjojanto and former attorney general Marsilam Simandjutak also underwent screening on Friday.
Bambang told the selection committee that he would work for the enactment of a law on witness protection to allow the public to freely participate in fighting corruption.
"Public participation in eradicating corruption is very important, and thus the need for protection for witnesses," said Bambang, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) board of ethics.
Meanwhile, Marsilam said he would not allow corruption cases handled by the commission to be handed over to the Attorney General's Office as it would give room to the office to issue a ruling to stop investigation into the cases.
The planned KPK is a superbody with authority to investigate corruption cases and prosecute suspected corrupters. It may also take over corruption cases handled by the Attorney General's Office.
Rampant corruption has been partly blamed for the current prolonged economic crisis. In its latest survey, the Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) ranked Indonesia as the second most corrupt among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the sixth among 132 countries surveyed.
Despite public pressure for the prosecution of corrupters since the country entered the reform ear in 1998, the government has yet to jail even one big-time corrupter.
Undergoing Friday's screening were also Attorney General Office expert staff member Juni Sjafrien Jahja, former secretary for the deputy attorney general for special crimes Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean, director of the Public Research Institute Listianto, former House member and deputy minister of defense Taufieaqurachman Ruki, and former state auditor Amien Sunaryadi.
"I think Friday's session was relatively better," said selection committee chairman Romli Atmasasmita.
The committee came under fire on Thursday for not digging into the track records of eight candidates undergoing screening.
Ten of 16 candidates undergoing screening will be selected and their names submitted to President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who will forward the 10 names to the House of Representatives.
The House will select five of the 10 as leaders of the KPK and return their names to the President for approval. The President, however, cannot change the candidates.
According to the Anticorruption Law, the KPK should be established by Dec. 27 at the latest.