Govt criticized for inability to fight graft
Govt criticized for inability to fight graft
JAKARTA (JP): The National Law Commission has expressed its
concern over ongoing rampant corruption resulting from the
sluggish movement of the government's law enforcement agencies to
cope with the crime.
Alleged collusion and corruption involving former president
Soeharto and textile giant firm Texmaco were among major cases
discussed during a meeting between the commission members and
President Abdurrahman Wahid on Monday.
The Attorney General's Office decided on Friday to stop
investigation into the Texmaco case due to lack of evidence, as
verified by the government audit agency and witnesses.
"For the time being, KKN cases are not declining and are even
increasing, especially those which occur at the law enforcement
agencies," commission chairman J.E. Sahetapy said.
KKN is the popular acronym for the practices of corruption,
collusion and nepotism.
Accompanying Sahetapy during the meeting was the commission's
secretary, Mardjono Reksodiputro, and members Frans Hendra
Winata, Suhadibroto and Fajrul Falaakh.
According to Sahetapy, the government would be unable to
regain the trust of people and the international community if it
failed to prove its seriousness in upholding the law.
Sahetapy, a professor of law at Surabaya-based Airlangga
University and House of Representatives legislator, said the
commission asked the government to quickly end the disarray at
the Supreme Court.
It urged Abdurrahman to accelerate the promotion of new and
clean supreme and senior justices. It especially suggested that
the President promote a career judge with a respectable
reputation as chief justice, and one who never held a government
position during either the current or previous governments.
Sahetapy, however, denied that the commission opposed the
nomination of former minister of justice Muladi for the position
and supported the President's handpicked candidate, retired judge
Benjamin Mangkudilaga.
"We only submitted the criteria for the supreme justice, and
we hope the President will pay attention to them," said Sahetapy.
The commission's secretary, Suhadibroto, told the President
that the Attorney General's Office was one of the weakest points
in upholding the law, as it had shown in the foot dragging
investigation into the former first family's alleged graft.
Suhadibroto, a former deputy attorney general for special
crimes, pointed out that the office would never be able to bring
Soeharto to court if it stuck to the current strategy of charging
the former president case by case.
Suhadibroto suggested that Attorney General Marzuki Darusman
emulate state oil company Pertamina in adopting a mosaic method.
Under the pattern, the Attorney General's Office would collect
all corruption cases involving Soeharto before making a major
decision based on the overall probe.
"If the Pak Harto case is managed case by case, when will the
Attorney General's Office finish its investigation? The public
believes there are so many cases (that involve Soeharto)," said
Suhadibroto.
Sahetapy also disclosed the President's denial that he had
meddled with the decision of the Attorney General's Office on
Friday to halt an investigation into Texmaco's Rp 9.6 trillion
(US$1.15 billion) alleged loan scandal.
"I think the President never interfered in this case,"
Sahetapy remarked.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
Association (PBHI) described the cessation of the Texmaco
investigation as the result of a high-level conspiracy to protect
KKN practices during Soeharto's era.
"The decision has eroded people's expectation of the
government's seriousness in eradicating corruption, and has
triggered strong suspicion of a high-level conspiracy in
resolving this case," PBHI chairman Hendardi said in a statement.
(prb)