Limiting officials' wealth
Limiting officials' wealth
From Sinar Pagi
Owing to the complexity inherent in practices of corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN), it seems to be very difficult to eradicate them. It is taboo among thieves to shout "Thief!"
Practices of KKN have been rife among officials in the bureaucracy and in the security/safeguarding sector.
Considering the complexity of the problem and the difficulty that the eradication of practices of KKN usually entails, and because the eradication of these practices is absolutely necessary to ensure that the government is accorded full legitimacy at home and abroad, allow me to propose to the government and the House of Representatives that a limit to government officials' wealth be imposed. A government official may legally own assets that it is estimated he can afford based on his own legal earnings. The rupiah value of assets, which could be cash, houses, shares, land, household equipment, automobiles, jewelry and so forth, would then be calculated.
So there would be a like similar to the example below, with US$1 being the estimated equivalent to Rp 10,000:
1. President and vice president: a maximum of Rp 50 billion;
2. Ministers, house speakers/chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly and commander of the Armed Forces and other officials of the same level: a maximum of Rp 6 billion.
3. Governors, chiefs of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the National Police and other officials/military officers of the same level/rank: a maximum of Rp 3 billion;
4. Deputy governors, municipality heads/mayors, civilian civil servants of Category IV and other officials of the same level: a maximum of Rp 2 billion and Rp 1 billion (including those in echelons I, II and III);
5. Officials of echelon IV and civilian civil servants of Category III and other officials of the same level, a maximum of Rp 500 million;
6. Civilian civil servants of Category I and others of the same level, a maximum of Rp 250 million.
Any amounts of money in excess of the above would be automatically confiscated by the state to be utilized for poverty eradication. The transfer of assets would be subject to sanctions/punishment, while the money would remain state property.
BONARD HUTAGALUNG
Jakarta