Graft found at every level of govt

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A report on Wednesday confirmed post-reform suspicions that corruption in the country had spread from the central government in the Soeharto era to regional governments after reform and the regional autonomy drive.

The report, based on a survey conducted by top anticorruption watchdog, Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), revealed that, between January and August this year, 314 cases of corruption were found in various tiers of the government, mostly in regental and municipal administrations. The corruption cost the state an estimated Rp 2.7 trillion (US$287 million).

The report, based on a survey conducted in 15 provinces nationwide, stated that 187 of the corruption cases were found in regental and municipal administrations. "The provincial administrations are just behind them with 88 cases, while the central government has the lowest figure of 30 cases," the report said.

The survey also found that most of the corruption in the regions was committed by regents, mayors and councillors.

"Our report found that there was evidence to suggest that 28 heads of regental and municipal administrations were involved in corruption," said Adnan Topan Husodo of the ICW.

According to him, three other groups who were held responsible were government employees, councillors and contractors.

Corruption committed by government employees was found in 17 cases, while the involvement of local contractors hired for procurement projects was found in 13 cases, said Adnan.

Meanwhile, councillors were found in 64 cases, he said.

Fellow activist Lucky Djani added that the ICW's latest finding could be used to support the widely held assumption that the autonomy law, which granted more authority to local governments, had made them more susceptible to corruption than they were before.

During Soeharto's 32 years in power until 1998, the government was highly centralized, and corruption was mostly confined to the central government.

The ICW report also found that Aceh province recorded the highest proportion of state losses. "Government money that was allegedly misused in Aceh between January and August, reached a staggering Rp 1.2 trillion," it said.

Adnan said that the absence of legal certainty due to the enactment of the state of emergency and martial law administration in the strife-torn province had contributed greatly to the swelling figure of state money being stolen.

The Indonesian government imposed martial law in Aceh in May last year in an attempt to wipe out armed separatism by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). The martial law status was lifted in May this year and replaced by a state of civil emergency.

"There are also large sums of humanitarian relief money pouring into the province with little or no accountability," he added.

According to Lucky, of the 314 allegations nationwide, only 27 cases which were currently being prosecuted in court, while another 143 cases were still being investigated.

"It shows that law enforcers, especially the state prosecutors, which number at 6,000 nationwide, have not done enough to bring the unscrupulous officials to justice," Lucky said.