Faith lacking in Susilo's anticorruption campaign

Tony Hotland and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's introduction of concrete antigraft measures at state institutions will have little impact unless law enforcement institutions are reformed and his Cabinet totally supports the move, observers say.

Romli Atmasasmita, head of the Anticorruption Monitoring Forum, and Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) coordinator Teten Masduki said that reforming law institutions, most of which were manned and run by corrupt individuals, and Cabinet members' support are a must in the efforts to eliminate corruption at state institutions.

"We all know the political commitment of the President against corruption. But the antigraft campaign needs more than commitment," Romli told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Susilo has made an effort to demonstrate his commitment to fighting corruption since taking office in October last year.

Romli said the eight antigraft steps announced by the President on Thursday were nothing more than mere political commitment.

"Auditing state institutions is a regular duty of the Finance and Development Comptroller (BPKP) and the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK). What the President must do is ensure follow ups on the results of the audits, meaning that any violations must be taken to court," Romli said.

Audit results of the two agencies, which often release reports on the abuse of state funds, however, are often ignored by the authorities, Romli said.

"Should they take it to the Attorney General's Office, the latter ignores it. The President must know it and ensure that any violations disclosed by an audit be prosecuted," Romli said.

The President vowed that he would start ridding his office of corruption as a part of a top-down antigraft campaign involving all government institutions.

Susilo said the BPKP would audit the State Secretariat and the Cabinet Secretariat as well as the Bina Graha presidential office and the vice presidential office.

Both Romli and Teten said the President's antigraft campaign had yet to show any significant results.

"It's not working, we can't feel any result," Romli said.

They said that the lack of support from Cabinet members and law enforcers was thwarting the campaign.

"Susilo's commitment has yet to be translated into real action by his ministers and relevant institutions," Teten said, adding that they should follow up with more concrete objectives and determine a yardstick for the goals.

The seemingly lack of support from Cabinet members in the fight against corruption can be seen from the fact that only one minister has set up a task force to eradicate corruption in his office, as explained by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Taufiqqurahman Ruki on Thursday.

Teten warned that the major hurdle to combating corruption was in fact law enforcers combined with poor coordination among law enforcement institutions such as the KPK, the Attorney General's Office, the police and the courts.

"Susilo should take progressive moves in reforming these law institutions considering that many of them are still occupied and run by corrupt individuals," said Teten.

Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said on Friday that since assuming office, the President had issued permits for prosecutors to investigate 39 regional administration officials for alleged corruption, comprising four governors, 25 regents, one mayor and nine deputy mayors.