KPK complains over lack of support in antigraft drive
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.