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)