Experts sceptical but back Mega's calls on BNI
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It remains to be seen whether calls from President Megawati Soekarnoputri to punish all the culprits behind a bank scandal reflect genuine concern about corruption or is simply a move to secure votes in the 2004 general election, analysts say.
All would depend on how the case was resolved in the end, although experts believe the remarks were a boost for law enforcers investigating the fraud, economists Anton Gunawan and Dradjat Wibowo said Tuesday.
"That was good, especially as it came from the President who is often silent on various issues.
"But, whether it is a sincere bid to eradicate corruption or just to improve her fame politically, we will only know when the case is eventually settled," Anton told The Jakarta Post.
On Monday, State Minister for State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi said Megawati had ordered a crackdown on those responsible for the high-profile Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) fraud because she believed "no one is untouchable."
The remarks came amid rising speculation of the possible involvement of well-connected politicians desperately seeking funds to finance their electoral campaigns, which could pose a threat to the ongoing probe.
"The statement should serve as a sound backing for enforcers, to clear them of doubts, if there are any, in dealing with the case. But still, we need to see whether it could lead to the finding of the real masterminds.
"If we only see just another shake-up in the bank's board of directors and put on trial some small time fund recipients, without real efforts to find the real big fish, then it would be just another show of ignorance on the part of the government," Dradjat said.
Deemed solely at first as a defect in the banking sector, the scandal has now gained a political dimension, especially now that the country is bracing for its first-ever direct elections, with dozens of political parties competing to get a slice of votes from the about 145 million registered voters.
As the need for campaign financing is huge, allegations are rife that the BNI fraud was conducted by people associated with competing political parties.
Unconfirmed reports have it that the scam was orchestrated by people with close relations to the Golkar party, the country's second largest -- something that has been strongly denied by its chairman Akbar Tandjung.
No less than Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, Gen. (ret) Wiranto and businessman Fadel Mohammad were said to have received funds from people involved in the case. Fadel serves as one of Golkar's treasurers while Kalla and Wiranto are two of the party's seven presidential candidates.
No clear evidence has been presented so far. But that has not stopped the flow of allegations.
Ikrar Nusa Bakti, a noted researcher, has warned of possible moves by certain parties to use the case to discredit other parties, without even bothering to fix the root of the problem itself, corruption.
"If that happens, the outcome will be a political solution, or compromise, not a legal solution," he was quoted as saying by this newspaper recently.
"For me, we should all wait for the police's investigation. Anyone who found guilty -- be it businessmen, state officials or politicians -- then they must be punished."