Corruption has become illness, ex-justice says
Corruption has become illness, ex-justice says
SEMARANG (JP): The Indonesian legal system is ailing with the
as yet incurable diseases of corruption, collusion and
manipulation, a former justice lamented.
Adi Andojo Soetjipto, who blew the whistle on alleged
collusion in the Supreme Court last year, said at a seminar
Wednesday that all of the dishonesty could only be handled with a
strong will from all layers in society.
"Efforts to eradicate the practices would stop in their tracks
if there wasn't any strong commitment from society and the
government," he said at a seminar on corruption at Sultan Agung
University.
Indonesia has actually had anti-corruption laws and
regulations ever since its independence in 1945. The regulations
later became the No. 3/1971 law on the eradication of corruption.
However, "because there is still a large part of society that
refuses to give its support, the campaign to eradicate corruption
practices faded away just like that," said Adi, a lecturer at
Trisakti University in Jakarta.
"Even institutions which are supposed to be fighting against
corruption, such as the Supreme Court and banks, have been
practicing collusion and corruption," he charged.
According to Adi, there was only a small number of people
still secretly committed to fighting corruption and collusion
within the Supreme Court.
"My experience of unintentionally disclosing the case of
alleged collusion and corruption at Gandhi Memorial School, for
instance, led to me being isolated, led them to strip me from all
the power I had, and lastly led to my dismissal for defaming my
own institution," he said.
Adi pointed at judges and justices' weak character and poor
integrity as the main cause of a corrupt justice system. He said
those judges or justices place worldly interests above "divine"
ones.
"They have more regard for luxurious homes, fancy cars and
huge bank accounts, over their own dignity, principles and self-
respect. For them there's no boundary between honesty and lies,"
he said.
Another speaker at the seminar, law professor Soetandyo
Wignyosoebroto, said corruption was mostly committed by those who
held power.
"People's power could become so big and centralized that they
could even control the law, or even make laws that justify their
corruption," he said.
Neither speaker gave details or elaborated on the people they
criticized. (har/aan)