Declare your wealth!

On May 4 Kompas reported that Adi Andoyo Soecipto had been asked to head a joint anticorruption team.

The writer and, perhaps, most people, are fed up with the establishment of various teams, agencies, commissions and the like, which the government says have been set up to eradicate corruption. In reality, it is alarming to all to witness how corruption and/or crimes that directly or indirectly impoverish the government and the people have continued unchecked. Even in the case of the recent fuel smuggling scam, which was very transparent, the government has been unable until now to catch even a single person and take him or her to court. What we have heard now is only the issuance of statements, reasons, arguments -- all leading to one thing, namely that all parties are hoping to rinse their own hands.

Aware of this fact, there is no need for us dream that the anticorruption team will be successful in unearthing corruption, which is not practiced in a refined and sophisticated manner. We have to admit that we do not have a good broom to sweep clean the dirt brought about by corruption. We use dirty or half-dirty brooms or even brooms that are on the point of breaking. So what happens is that the area becomes even more dirty.

That we have a good broom that can sweep clean must be proved with the fulfillment/implementation of Law No. 28/1999, which requires public officials to declare (once again "declare", not "report") their wealth. In reality, to the best of my knowledge, not a single official has declared his wealth. Do these government officials have no knowledge of this law or do they, perhaps, not understand it? Or maybe they do not want to heed it, or do they perhaps still have not enough courage to heed it. Or do they just feign ignorance, or do they simply not care a dime about it? Only God and they themselves know the answer. Worse still, members of the ombudsman commission, headed by Anton Sujata and having as its members, among others, Teten Masduki and Pradjoto -- both famous for their outspokenness against corruption -- have not declared their wealth either.

So, if we have an anticorruption joint team whose head and members will not declare their wealth, it is better to cancel the establishment of this team because we can rest assured that this broom will not be strong and will not sweep clean either.

What is of alarming concern is that not even one of our leaders -- the president, the vice president, the house speaker, the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, the ministers and members of the House of People's Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly and other high-ranking officials -- is willing to declare their wealth in line with the provision in Law No. 28/1999. If this is the case, how can we ever respect our leaders? We need good examples and not just lip service or empty rhetorics. Why doesn't the government just revoke Law No. 28/1999 rather than letting it collect dust?

Mr. Anton, Pradjoto, Teten, Adi Andoyo and other leaders who really love this country, you must take the initiative to declare your wealth as evidence that you deserve your present position in which a strong determination to eradicate corruption is inherent.

H. WISDARMANTO GS.

Jakarta