Corruption among officials plagues Aceh Singkil
Corruption among officials plagues Aceh Singkil
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The leakage of Rp 4 billion in the Aceh Singkil administration
has brought to the fore the rampant practice of corruption,
collusion and nepotism in on the ongoing attempt to topple the
new regency' leader.
Non-governmental organizations in the province have blamed the
weak supervisory system in the administration, which they say
indirectly encourages local officials to become involved in
corruption and collusion.
Abdi Suka, coordinator of the Aceh Singkil Transparency
Society (Matras), blamed the regent for creating a climate
conducive to corruption.
He noted that among the corruption cases being criticized by
NGOs and law practitioners were the recent provision of financial
aid for flood victims, financial assistance for the
administration from the state oil and gas company Pertamina, and
cases involving central government employees and foreign parties.
"We have worked hard to bring many corruption cases to court
to win locals' confidence in the local administration and to
repair civil servants' badly tarnished image," he said in Singkil
recently.
Aceh Singkil, which borders West Aceh and Southeast Aceh,
became a regency in 1999. Of the more than 122,000 population in
11 subdistricts, 55,000 still live below the poverty line. The
unemployment rate has reached 10,000.
"To fight corruption, collusion and nepotism, all proreform
organizations and individuals must work hard to bring all big-
time corruptors to court," Syamsul Bahri, a lawyer in the town,
said.
Antara news agency reported on Sunday that the local police
had detained three people -- identified only as D SY B, the
treasurer of the local administration; EP, a staff member of the
local administration; and AT, deputy chairman of the Aceh Singkil
regency legislative council -- in connection to financial
leakages. BS, chief of the financial bureau at the local
administration, is being held as a witness in the case.
AT is a relative of Aceh Singkil Regent Makmursyah Putra. The
three reportedly acquired many personal assets after they were
appointed to strategic positions both in the local administration
and the legislature.
The case rose to the surface when the three reportedly
suffered losses in the trade of foreign exchange last year.
Bahri said the regent could not wash his hands of the matter
to avoid legal responsibility, and BS had been held as witness to
prevent more local administration officials from being implicated
in the case.
One of the three suspects said recently that they would reveal
in court the names of all the people involved in the case.
Meanwhile, Regent Makmursyah has said he is ready to step down
voluntarily if he is proven guilty of involvement in the case.
He said all those involved in the case should be given stiffer
sanctions and dismissed from their present positions.
"He (AT) is a relative of mine but he has betrayed me and the
state, so he deserves a stiff penalty," he said.
Usman Arifin, chairman of the regency legislature, called on
the police and the local prosecutor's office to investigate the
case thoroughly and bring all those involved to court.
"Let the court decide who are guilty," he said.