Fighting graft 'must start at budget debate'

Fighting graft 'must start at budget debate'

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Just like government officials, corruption watchdogs showed no
surprise on Friday at the results of a survey placing Jakarta as
the most corrupt city in the country, but for quite different
reasons.

The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) said that
corrupt practices start with budget deliberations that very often
take place behind close doors.

"Non-transparent budget deliberations are the beginning of
corrupt practices because many backroom deals are made during
such discussions," said Fitra executive Yuna Farhan on Friday.

Transparency International Indonesia (TII) unveiled its survey
of 21 Indonesian cities, including the capital Jakarta, last
Wednesday that showed that Jakarta topped the list as Indonesia's
most corrupt city, while Wonosobo in Central Java was rated the
least corrupt.

Government officials, however, shrugged off the survey on
Thursday, saying that it was totally unacceptable to compare
Jakarta with small cities.

Yuna said his organization often received unconfirmed reports
of officials offering their cronies in the private sector
projects to be financed from the city budget, even while
deliberations had not been completed.

He also complained that the administration never opened the
draft city budget to public scrutiny despite the fact that it was
a public document.

"The administration, for example, never responds to letters
from Fitra asking for the draft city budget. It is an indication
that there is something wrong with the budget deliberation
process," he told The Jakarta Post.

He said that transparent budget deliberations would be an
important start in eradicating rampant corruption in the city.

A similar comment came from deputy chairman of the Jakarta
Residents Forum (Fakta) Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto, who demanded
that the city administration establish complaint and information
centers on public services.

"The two centers are important because corruption often occurs
in public services. Officials frequently demand that residents
pay illegal fees," he said.

He said the administration already had a complaint facility --
a 009 mailbox. Residents can lodge complaints through the
facility about any irregular conduct, but many people got
frustrated because many of their complaints went unheeded.

"The administration should announce how many letters come to
the mailbox each month and how many cases are followed up by the
City Audit Body (Bawasda). Such responses may encourage the
public to take part in monitoring corruption practices," he said.

According to Tubagus, the proposed information center should
facilitate access to all procedures and requirements for people
who needed particular services.

He added that the center should also mention official fees and
time required to complete specific services.

Yuna shared Tubagus' opinion, saying that information on
public services should also be distributed through the official
website run by the administration.

"I think all projects offered to the public must be announced
through the website," he said.

Tubagus and Yuna agreed that the City Council had an important
role to play in preventing corruption if they wished to prove
that they were not actual participants in these practices.

Tubagus said councillors have wide access to internal
information in the city administration.

"They can cooperate with non-governmental organizations and
the media to disclose their findings if they really want to," he
told the Post.