Corruption eradication

President Megawati once stated that the Indonesian bureaucracy was like a waste basket. What she meant was that the bureaucracy is not capable of carrying out public policy and lacks coordination. I think the President also realizes that the bureaucracy lacks more than just professionalism. It is a public secret that all branches of the government, the executive, legislative and judiciary, are corrupt.

Tempo of Nov. 25 and Dec. 1 reported a statement of President Megawati that she will not replace Attorney General M. A. Rachman despite the fact that legal action is still taking place in connection with a luxury house owned by the attorney general that he failed to report to the Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN).

The President's reason for maintaining the attorney general is because she is not sure that there is a better candidate to replace M. A. Rachman.

Tempo also quoted the President as saying: "If I must replace the Attorney General only because of a house, I am afraid I will have to replace all the ministers". Does the President mean to say that all ministers are as problematic as the attorney general?

If the Tempo quotation is accurate, the Indonesian people can do nothing but sigh and say how unlucky this country and its 200 million inhabitants are.

If there is no one qualified to take the position of attorney general, are there people eligible to fill even higher positions? Is the 2004 general election still necessary? Let us hope that M. A. Rachman can eradicate corruption, collusion and nepotism before his retirement. Otherwise the waste basket will become bigger and bigger.

CORNELIS A. BOCKY

Jakarta