KPK complains over lack of support in antigraft drive
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) complained on Thursday over a lack of support from other state institutions in its ambitious anticorruption drive.
Addressing the commission's second anniversary, KPK chairman Taufikurrahman Ruki said most other state institutions had failed to seize the momentum from the KPK's antigraft campaign and push for reforms.
"There are no parties trying to use the momentum to reform the system in their respective institutions," he said during a modest anniversary ceremony.
Key national figures in attendance included National Police chief Gen. Sutanto, Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan, Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh and head of the AGO's special antigraft team Hendarman Supandji, Constitutional Court chief Jimly Asshidiqie, Central Bank Governor Burhanuddin Abdullah, Head of the country's money laundering watchdog (PPATK) Yunus Hussein, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin and Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment Taufik Effendy.
Ruki said that the KPK's graft investigations were supposed to be a trigger for a general bureaucratic reform in the country, a crucial element in the ongoing efforts to curb rampant corruption in the country.
"No wonder anticorruption efforts have remained the same," he lamented.
KPK has busted a number of corrupt high-profile officials, including several within the General Elections Commission (KPU) and at the Supreme Court.
While some KPU members have been thrown in prison for graft, nothing has been done to reform the KPU. The same goes for the Supreme Court, whose internal reform efforts have gone nowhere.
In its second year, Ruki said, the KPK still felt all alone in the anticorruption movement because the civil society groups concerned with graft "are small and they each go in their own direction".
The battle against corruption has become increasingly difficult because of "the entrenched power of corrupt people, which is stronger than that of the anticorruption groups" due to a lack of political support and capital, he added.
"The antigraft movement here is still half-hearted. Everybody claps their hands if the KPK arrests their political opponents or someone they don't know. However, they become ambiguous when KPK arrests their friends, family members or party members," Ruki said.
Abdul Rahman appeared to disagree with Ruki's statement about the KPK fighting a solo battle against corruption.
"What are we then? There is Pak Sutanto, Pak Hendarman and myself. Alone? Come on...," he said with a chuckle after the ceremony.
Set up two years ago, the KPK's main task is to eradicate "complicated" corruption cases that exceed Rp 1 billion (US$99,700) or more.
Its establishment was due to the fact that many major graft cases were often dismissed by the police, prosecutors or judges without appropriate explanation.
KPK is often called a "superbody" because it is able to summon anyone, including high-ranking officials, without permission from the President. It is also authorized to monitor the bank accounts of graft suspects.
Some KPK achievements in 2005:
1. The arrests and convictions of a number of officials in graft cases, including former Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh, KPU chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin, KPU member Mulyana W. Kusumah and other KPU officials as well as Ministry of Communications officials Harun Letlet and Tarcisius Walla.
2. Getting back state money, which had been embezzled by the convicts, or in the form of bribery, amounting to some Rp 200 billion.
3. Promoting the "island of integrity" and good governance programs that were later adopted by seven provinces in the country to boost clean government.
4. Establishing a forensic website and software that has become the backbone of the commission's administration.