Legislator urges government to heed criticism
Legislator urges government to heed criticism
JAKARTA (JP): The government should respond quickly to
criticism on corruption and other misconduct of its officials,
Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly H.A.
Amiruddin said yesterday.
An openness to criticism, Amiruddin said, is needed to meet
the rising demand for clean government and for a bureaucracy that
will deliver better services to the public.
Amiruddin did not identify misconduct by specific officials,
but condemned extravagant behavior and collusion. The latter drew
countrywide attention in 1996, with the Supreme Court's alleged
bribe case the most conspicuous.
"The government apparatus must understand that they have a set
of regulations of their own and implement them rigidly," former
South Sulawesi governor Amiruddin was quoted by Antara.
Observers blamed the closed political system for widespread
collusion and corruption, despite government claims they were
combating the problem effectively.
Sociologist Loekman Soetrisno of Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada
University said collusion at the upper level of the apparatus was
the most frightening, because of its objective to amass wealth.
Amiruddin was speaking at the induction of Umar Basalim, the
assembly's new vice secretary. Basalim replaces Jan Patadungan,
who has retired.
Officials at the assembly's secretariat are appointed by the
government. Basalim was given the new post on Dec. 24 by a
presidential decree.
In his televised year-end speech Tuesday, President Soeharto
reiterated the government's commitment to sustaining openness and
democracy. However, he warned against letting new ideas and
aspirations rush out of control.
Soeharto admitted that, in politics, new ideas had emerged to
invigorate democracy in the past 12 months.
Amiruddin stressed the government has a difficult job ahead
combating corruption and collusion, as Indonesia holds it general
election this year and the People's Consultative Assembly session
in 1998. The 1998 assembly will convene to deliberate on the new
Broad Guidelines for State Policies and to elect a new president.
The general election, the seventh since Indonesia proclaimed
independence in 1945, will take place next May. An estimated 120
million people are expected to cast their vote.
The ruling political grouping Golkar, the United Development
Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party are contesting the
election, vying for a total of 425 seats in the House of
Representatives. The other 75 seats will be reserved for the
Armed Forces, whose members do not vote.
The assembly will have their first session in October,
followed by discussions within working executive committees to
decide the legislations and the Broad Guidelines of State
Policies for 1998/2003. The election of President and Vice
President will cap the general assembly in March 1998. (amd)