Habibie must act

Habibie must act

It is not enough for the minister of finance to oversee the
Bank Bali case. President B.J. Habibie must act in person to
order an investigation of the scandal because the case is in part
a consequence of his giving too much power to the Indonesian Bank
Restructuring Agency (IBRA). This is a very powerful body, yet
its officials have not been tested for their professionalism,
integrity or vision.

Now the case has broken and it is not enough for the finance
minister to order a probe into the scandal. The President must do
so. For Habibie, this would also fulfill a moral obligation,
because his name and those of some of his personal confidants are
involved. Habibie could of course issue a denial, but that will
not be enough until proof is produced that can clear his name.

Does Habibie have the courage to order a thorough examination
of the case? For the sake of his own good name and for the
credibility of his commitment to reform, he must muster the
courage to quash the culture of corruption in our society. He
must have the courage to bring the offenders to court, instead of
protecting them as he gives the impression of having done in the
cases of Soeharto, Andi M. Ghalib and a number of bankers and
officials involved in BLBI certificates.

Unless he does all this, what argument could we bring up to
support the contention that he is a reformist committed to
establishing clean governance? This is a most basic question that
only Habibie can answer.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta