Govt's commitment to fighting corruption questioned
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The government's commitment to the eradication of corruption has come under public scrutiny due to its apparently lackluster support for the eight-month-old Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), and failure to set up the anticorruption court.
KPK deputy chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas told a seminar on corruption that the commission had been unable to successfully complete its institution-building work since it was established in January.
"We cannot hire employees because of the absence of a presidential decree governing the salaries of KPK employees. We have been urging the President to issue the decree since February," he said.
The government has also contributed to the delay in the establishment of the anticorruption court, which will only hear high-profile cases investigated by the KPK.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan has said that the court could not operate as its special judges had not been sworn in by the President as required by the legislation.
According to Bagir, the Supreme Court had yet to receive a response from the President regarding its request for the president to immediately officially appoint the judges.
Each panel of judges in the anticorruption court will consist of three non-career and two career judges.
The failure to get the anticorruption court up and running means that major question marks hang over the prosecution of a number of high-profile corruption cases currently being handled by the KPK, including that involving Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh.
Other speakers in the seminar -- Teten Masduki, who chairs the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), and Catholic priest Benny Susetyo -- also expressed skepticism over the government's commitment to the fight against corruption.
"KPK cannot not act alone in combating corruption. The government is supposed to provide it with full support so that it can develop into a strong institution, while at the same time improving the working conditions of police officers and prosecutors," he said.
Teten said that the KPK would not be able to eliminate corruption due to its limited resources and the fact that the crime was not widespread among officials at the local level.
"I don't think the future government, be it led by Megawati or SBY, will do any better as neither of them have announced any clear platforms against corruption, particularly with regard to the law enforcement institutions," he said.
Teten was referring to presidential candidates Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, known by his initials as SBY, who will square off in the election runoff in September.
Benny, representing the Indonesian Council of Bishops (KWI), shared Teten's opinion, saying that corruption would remain rampant without radical measures against law enforcers involved in crimes.
"We all know it's all only rhetoric. As long as the law enforcement institutions are not clean, we can expect nothing," he said.
Benny called on the public to continue voicing criticism of the government for its failure to fight corruption.
"Never stop criticizing the government's policies. Otherwise, the corruptors will continue to be able to sleep easy. They will keep on enjoying the good life while we have to pick up the tab," he said.