Ministers, DPR slow to report assets

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

None of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Cabinet members had submitted a wealth report to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as of Friday, a commission member stated.

As part of efforts to create a clean government, Susilo told his new ministers last Friday to submit their reports to the commission within a week.

But KPK deputy chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas said Friday that his office had yet to get the reports from the Cabinet members.

He also said that none of the legislators sworn in on Oct. 1 had submitted their wealth reports.

"We haven't received any," Erry said.

The commission, which was set up to fight corruption here, gave legislators until Nov. 1 to submit their wealth reports.

On Thursday, KPK chairman Taufikurrahman Ruki met Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi, however Sudi requested more time for the ministers to complete their wealth reports.

There was no official announcement about their tardiness, but Ruki said that some of the new ministers had never filled out a wealth report and so were not familiar with the requirements.

As for the legislators, KPK director for wealth reports M. Yasin said the office had not yet received any wealth reports from the new national or city legislators.

He explained that his office had asked the General Elections Commission (KPU) to forward the wealth reports that they had received from legislators before the election.

"We do not have exact figures for all the regional and national legislators across the country. But the KPU has those figures," Yasin said.

Candidates contesting the April 5 legislative elections were required to submit their wealth reports to the commission before being declared eligible to run.

There are roughly 12,000 legislators at various administrative levels around the country.

KPU member Mulyana W. Kusuma admitted that his office had the reports, but stressed that they were not complete.

"The reports are very short, but we will send them if the KPK needs them," he said.

Law No. 28/1999 on good governance and Law No. 30/2002 on the antigraft commission requires state officials to declare their wealth before and after assuming office.

The laws require other state officials, including legislators, to submit their wealth reports to the KPK in a bid to maintain transparency and monitor possible irregularities.

However, there is no penalty stipulated for state officials who fail to disclose their wealth. If state officials make false statements on their wealth reports, they can only be charged with making false reports.

The KPK will only look into reports that seem to contain irregularities.