Media told to play bigger role in antigraft drive

Media told to play bigger role in antigraft drive

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

"Deep Throat", Sherron Watkins and Mordechai Vanunu are three
of the most famous whistle-blowers in history, and respectively
blew the lids of Watergate, the Enron scandal and Israel's
illicit nuclear arsenal.

The role of whistle-blowers has long been known to be crucial
in the fight against corruption. Therefore, according to two
prominent anticorruption activists, the media needs to encourage
more whistle-blowers here to come forward to help in the fight
against corruption.

Norwegian Eva Joly told a discussion on Friday that it was
easier for journalists to seek insider information from
whistle-blowers than the police.

"If sources give documents to the media, it is as efficient as
giving them to the police. The media could initiate the
investigation ... That's what happens in Norway," said Joly, a
special advisor to the Norwegian government in the fight against
corruption and money laundering.

Also speaking during the discussion was Joly's assistant,
Anne-Mette Dyrnes.

Joly said the media had a strategic role to play in the war
against corruption due to its accessibility to the public.

However, the problem with Indonesia was the absence of witness
protection legislation, something that discouraged people from
coming forward to report graft cases.

"We cannot fight serious crime without the assistance of civil
society. Therefore, the protection of witnesses and
whistle-blowers by law needs to be put in place as soon as
possible," said Dyrnes.

Without such a law, whistle-blowers could easily find
themselves up facing libel suits and the media would not be able
to protect them.

One whistle-blower, Endin Wahyudin, was found guilty of
bribing three judges in 2002, even though the judges accused of
taking the bribes were all acquitted.

Another problem faced by the media in developing countries was
the limited access to public information, unlike the
circumstances prevailing in developed countries like Norway.

"Here, there is also a need for the consent of the President
to initiate an investigation into corruption. This requirement
needs to be abolished," said Dyrnes.

Both Joly and Dyrnes said that the effectiveness of the media
in fighting corruption depended on how far it could access
sources. The media also needed to heighten people's awareness
about how to file complaints and furnish information.

"There should be a system to take care of people's complaints
and information. Ordinary people should be able to find out where
they can file complaints, and the media should inform them about the
procedures," said Joly, who was among the initiators of the Paris
Declaration, an international instrument to reduce corruption in
the global financial field.

The important thing for the media was to keep up the pressure
on the corruptors.

"One thing that can be done immediately is to focus on
people's wealth. Ask where they got their money from. Go and ask
questions rather than waiting for the KPK to verify it," Joly
said, referring to the Corruption Eradication Commission.

Aside from urging an increased role for the media in combating
corruption, Joly and Dyrnes also made a number of
recommendations.

* The anticorruption efforts should be capable of being
applied retroactively.

* The responsibility of the KPK should cover the laundering of
the proceeds of corruption and other related crimes, as stated in
the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

* The penal provisions on corruption should be reviewed and
amended to make them clearer and more accessible to law
enforcement agencies and the judiciary, and there should be no
room for impunity for those returning the proceeds of a crime.

* The prosecution service should be more independent and less
bureaucratic, for instance, by reducing the number of
hierarchical levels in the service.

* Training and capacity-building for law enforcement agencies
are also essential, as well as the employing of permanent staff
by the KPK and the Financial Transaction and Report Analysis
Center (PPATK) to ensure continuity, stability and engagement in
combating corruption.

* A more multidisciplinary approach in all law enforcement
agencies, increases in budgetary resources, more efficient
organization of the KPK leadership, and a greater level of
international cooperation are also required.