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