House urges govt to curb corruption

House urges govt to curb corruption

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives closed its third assembly period on
Thursday and went into a month-long recess, with calls for the
government to materialize its promise to stamp out widespread
corruption in the country.

The House said while that promise still stood, efforts to
materialize it had resulted in nothing but talk.

Addressing House members seated in the half-empty plenary
hall, House Speaker Agung Laksono blamed sluggish progress in the
eradication of corruption partially on law enforcers' low morals.

"Indications of moral degradation are evident in the
involvement of law enforcers in criminal acts, such as gambling
and illegal logging activities," he lamented.

Agung said the government should beef up coordination among
pivotal government institutions and take serious action against
those found guilty of embezzlement.

Indonesia has been ranked by the Berlin-based International
Transparency as the fifth most corrupt country in the world.
Numerous surveys have shown that leading contributors to the
situation are red tape and the weak performance of legal
institutions.

A number of low and high-profile corruption cases have been
exposed and investigated over the past few months, many of those
implicating state officials and House members themselves.

On the same occasion, the House suggested that the government
make an inventory of its islands, and register them with the
United Nations before 2007, to avoid more claims by neighboring
countries.

Indonesia has over 13,000 large and small islands, many of
which are still virgin. Indonesia lost the Sipadan and Ligitan
islands in 2001 to Malaysia, and is currently in a dispute with
Malaysia over an offshore oil field in East Ambalat, Sulawesi.

Agung reminded House members to work quickly and efficiently
in deliberating bills, particularly as the institution had failed
to make any laws during its third assembly period, which started
on Jan. 10.

According to the National Legislation Program, the House is
tasked with deliberating 55 bills this year, including those on
the presidential body and disaster mitigation.

Nevertheless, Agung stressed the importance of thoroughness in
the discussion and consideration of bills, as well as paying
attention to public interests and those of related institutions,
to prevent the Constitutional Court stepping in to review laws in
the future.