Council to set up team to probe city corruption

Council to set up team to probe city corruption

JAKARTA (JP): City Council Commission A on government affairs
will establish a team to investigate allegations of corruption,
collusion and nepotism within the city administration, an
official said on Thursday.

"We're now preparing a draft for the establishment of the
investigation team. Hopefully, it will be ready soon," the
commission's deputy chief, Syarifien Maloko, said during a
discussion cohosted by Elshinta radio station and Forum Cipta
Bangsa on the eradication of corruption, collusion and nepotism
among city officials.

Syarifien, a councillor from the Crescent Star Party (PBB)
faction, said the team would consist of representatives from
several factions in the City Council and would be equipped with
procedural and implementation guidelines to investigate unlawful
practices.

"I believe we have more opportunities than difficulties in
investigating the cases. We just have to figure out the
procedures and the mechanisms.

"The team will enable us to conduct preliminary investigations
based on input from the public or councillors on any alleged KKN
by officials," he said, referring to corruption, collusion and
nepotism by its acronym.

The findings of the team, Syarifien said, would be internally
discussed in Commission A before being handed over to the City
Council for further discussion.

Amarullah Asbah, the chairman of Commission C on financial
affairs, said the plan was in line with Law No. 22/1999 on
regional administration, which grants the City Council the right
to request the accountability of the governor and regents, and to
conduct investigations.

He said councillors so far faced difficulties in conducting
investigations because the administration was not transparent,
especially where financial details were concerned.

Amarullah, a Golkar Party councillor, also said the City
Council could not investigate KKN cases without input from the
Jakarta Inspectorate Office, which is responsible for helping the
governor monitor irregularities within the administration.

The office is currently supported by the governor-initiated
Reform Monitoring and Control Team (TP2R) in investigating cases
of KKN which fall outside its jurisdiction, such as at the
various Jakarta ministerial offices. Both the inspectorate office
and TP2R report to the governor.

Commission A members said on Tuesday they doubted the
inspectorate office could carry out its tasks properly because it
was structurally part of the city administration.

Besides calling for an independent inspectorate office and the
abolition of TP2R, commission members also suggested the
establishment of an independent team made up of activists,
experts and other community members to investigate cases of KKN.

TP2R said that since its establishment in May 1998, it had
uncovered 1,364 irregularities within the administration, 755 of
which currently are being investigated, with another two already
having been settled in court.

Farid R. Faqih, coordinator of Government Watch, is
pessimistic Council members can settle the KKN cases because they
themselves are not free from such practices.

"The government officials' reluctance to publicly reveal their
wealth is an early indication of their lack of seriousness in
eradicating KKN," he said. (06)