Indonesia waives the rules?

Indonesia waives the rules?

Everywhere Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) goes the skeletons
of the past rattle like hell, and they will cause him enormous
problems. The tight web of corruption, which has efficiently
engulfed all walks of life, has virtually left no one who can
say, hand on heart, "I am Mr. Clean". You don't get anything in
Indonesia for nothing, and that has been the case for a long
while now.

As Sukarno said "Britania might rule the waves but
Indonesia waives the rules" -- how right he was. However, there
is a faint hope that the slate could be wiped clean for those who
have become the new team of would-be reformers. But where do you
draw the line, and how fair would that be? "Get real" seems to be
one message and "enough is enough" could be another, but
where do you start, and who can SBY trust? Immediate results must
be seen and, therefore, the Attorney General's Office would seem
to be a good starting place.

But, ever since Andy (two falls and a submission) Ghalib
failed in 1999 to find one U.S. cent of the Soeharto money, the
institution has greatly disappointed the Indonesian people, and
yet, performed magnificently in the eyes of big-time crooks.

What a can of worms the new President faces. How long
will it take him to realize that the task is insurmountable and
politically dangerous? Logic tells you that ruthless tactics are
required to counterbalance the obvious resistance that will come
forward, and, in that respect, the new boys may not be man enough
to handle the flak.

It is a David and Goliath task, where stone-throwing will not
be anywhere near enough to even dent the fortress that surrounds
the crooks -- but nevertheless something has to be done,
and quickly.

Drastic situations require drastic measures, but SBY will not
be alone in thinking that, as the corruptors must have reached
similar conclusions. I wonder, what drastic measures they have in
store?

DAVID WALLIS
Medan, North Sumatra