Judiciary urged to clean up its act
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered the judiciary and advocates to cleanse themselves of corruption.
"Without intending to interfere in the judicial realm, I hope that our courts will embark on a process of internal cleansing and be serious about handling corruption cases," he said in his State of the Nation address to the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The President, who launched a national antigraft drive last year, also urged the organizations representing advocates to be serious in upholding their professional code of ethics.
"Along with other law officers, I hope that all advocates will be serious about combating corruption, bribery and other disgraceful practices that damage the prestige of the law and our legal institutions," he said.
It has long been accepted that advocates regularly bribe law enforcers. However, it is extremely difficult to bring them to justice. So far, the only bribery case involving advocates that has been acted upon is the one involving at least one lawyer acting for suspended Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh, who was recently convicted of graft.
The case, which is being investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), involved an attempt by the lawyer to bribe high court clerks. The lawyer and the court clerks were caught red-handed by KPK investigators.
Susilo said the government needed the support of all legal and law enforcement institutions, as well as the rest of society, to eradicate widespread corruption in the country.
"The government cannot do this on its own," he said, adding that he had ordered National Police chief Gen. Sutanto and Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh to take firm action against corrupt subordinates.
The reputation of the country's legal institutions has been tainted by the emergence of what is known as the court mafia, which affects the lowest to the highest echelons in the public prosecution service and courts.
Advocates are also deeply involved.
The Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) organization revealed the extent of corruption in the judicial system in a book published last year. United Nations special rapporteur Param Cumarasway also said last year that the country's legal system was among the worst he had ever seen.
Susilo, who won the presidential election last year due in part to his promise to wage war on corruption, reiterated his government's determination to combat corruption, which had brought suffering to the people and damaged the morality of the nation.
"The momentum for eradicating corruption has clearly been set in motion and we shall maintain this momentum, to reduce corruption to the minimum," he said.
Since taking office in October last year, Susilo said that he had made various efforts for eradicate corruption.
These included the launching of the National Movement to Eradicate Corruption, the adoption of the 2004-2009 National Action Plan for the Eradication of Corruption and the establishment of a Coordinating Action Committee to Eradicate Corruption (Timtas Tipikor).
The President also praised the achievements of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in handling at least 25 high profile corruption cases, including the Abdullah Puteh case.