Former home minister slams government on corruption

Former home minister slams government on corruption

JAKARTA (JP): Former home minister Gen. (ret) Rudini said
yesterday that the clean-up of government must start at the top.

Speaking at a discussion held by the Jakarta Jakarta magazine,
Rudini said that it was possible to create a government that was
free of corruption as long as top leaders took the initiative.

"The leaders should start the efforts of reform," he said. He
added that this approach would encourage the subordinates to be
honest in their work and willing to improve their level
discipline.

Rudini, who now heads the Indonesian Strategic Assessment
Institute, also suggested that "clean" government was possible if
the government employed a democratic and efficient management
system. "We have to reorganize the management system if we want
clean government," he said.

He acknowledged it would be a long, hard road to create such a
government, given the fact that the government is rife with
abuses of power.

Rudini suggested that human resources played an important role
in cracking down on government corruption. He said that the
virtual absence of a proper grooming mechanism for the civil
service is one of the obstacles hampering the cleanup of
government. He added that new cadres could in fact support the
leaders in an anti-corruption initiative.

Examples

Rudini said that leaders should set good examples for the
subordinates and should be committed to take action against
errant officials. "Indonesia is in dire need of good role models
in Government."

He also said that some officials achieved their positions in
the current administration because of their close relationships
with the top leaders. "Those people will do whatever they are
told to keep their positions."

In addition, there are also officials who make use of their
positions to "force" other parties to fulfill their desires, he
added.

Rudini said that moral values also played important roles in
the creation of clean government.

He said that feudalistic mentality was still present in
Indonesia, which had led to collusion between government
officials and the private sector. (par)