Corruption 'from state palace to political parties'

Corruption 'from state palace to political parties'

JAKARTA (JP): Unlike in the past, political parties are now
the vanguard of corruption in the country, as a result of
democratization and decentralization, the Indonesian Corruption
Watch (ICW) revealed in its year-end report on Monday.

ICW coordinator Teten Masduki said he expected a snowball
effect of corrupt practices due to a lack of political will from
the government to eradicate them.

"It's outrageous that corruption takes place in the era of
democratization and transparency, while no theories can explain
why. We understand that we are still in a transition process,
where the checks and balances between the state and civil society
have not yet been perfectly developed.

"However, democratization without public accountability will
only pave the way for money politics and allow corruption to
spread out of control," he told a media briefing.

In its preliminary investigation, ICW identified six
corruption cases which it suspects took place in the House of
Representatives (DPR) last year. They include, the election of
Bank Indonesia deputy governors, the screening of the chief
justice candidates, the hearing between the House and the
Attorney General's Office over the termination of an
investigation into PT Texmaco, and the drafting of the Tax and
Excise Law, which stipulates that particular businesses can be
exempt from taxes.

The watchdog also suspected corruption in the House
legislators' visits to the shrimp hatchery PT Dipasena in
Lampung, which allegedly caused losses to the state, and to PT
Pura Barutama, a paper printing company in Kudus, Central Java.
PT Pura has recently been accused of printing counterfeit money.

Teten deemed that corruption had become a political problem,
and the political parties had contributed to maintaining it as a
method of obtaining the funds they badly need to survive.

"The parties look for financial resources either from
businessmen, the military, state officials or others. We perceive
their main concern now is the placement of their members in
particular ministries, or state enterprises known to be a state
cash cow.

"And vice versa, the businessmen look for a patron. In the
past they depended solely on the ruling party Golkar, but under
these uncertain political circumstances they support all parties.
These practices have given corruption a boost," he said.

Teten lashed out at the current government, who have failed to
carry out their own anti-corruption drive.

"Instead of solving the many past corruption cases, which are
now stranded at the Attorney General's Office, they perpetuate
the crime," he said.

Teten said President Abdurrahman Wahid had replaced only 15
percent of people in his administration who belonged to the old
regime, and whose appointments were not subjected to appropriate
screening.

"Although we can see that Gus Dur finds resistance from the
old faces, who have repositioned themselves and served as the
stumbling blocks to corruption eradication efforts, the President
in fact doesn't have a sound agenda," he said, referring to the
President by his nickname.

He said it was necessary for Gus Dur to break the chain
connecting the current government with the past regime, and to
restructure legal institutions, including the reform of laws in a
bid to uphold justice.

Teten also said that the House's special committee currently
investigating financial scandals allegedly involving the
President "does not really show the legislators' intention to
resolve the cases."

"The investigation into Buloggate and Bruneigate only
represent a political competition between the elites and
political parties," he said.

ICW suggested that the government and the House revise the
Anti-Corruption Law No. 31/ 1999 due to a lack of political
support for the current investigations into corruption. (bby)