Next govt told to start 'anti-corruption drive'

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An expert has suggested that the government in power after the 2004 election should implement a comprehensive program to curb widespread corruption as quickly as possible in order to rescue the reform movement.

"The public, who have suffered economic hardship for years, can no longer tolerate corruption. They tend to prefer life under the old government, despite its repressive nature," research director of Transparency International (TI) Jeremy Pope said on a recent visit.

He cited the case of Pakistan. He said the South Asian country had suffered a setback in its political development, as the military had regained power because the civilian government had failed to deal with national problems.

Pope said politicians elected in a fair election were supposed to build a clean government, which would lead the country's drive against corruption.

An anticorruption drive should be led by the government, as it had the authority to issue policies to minimize opportunities for either government officials or others to commit corrupt acts.

"Preventing corruption should be the main objective," he stressed, adding that prosecuting corruptors was only one of the tools available to fight corruption.

Pope acknowledged there was a chance that the new political leadership might be unable to fulfill its election campaign promises to fight corruption.

"Of course, civil society might become disillusioned and lose hope. Therefore, it is mandatory for other elements of society to continue to help the government stay on the right track in the drive against corruption," he said.

The government, Pope asserted, could not maintain a stance against corruption without assistance from other elements of society.

"None of the major elements in society can do it alone; neither the government, nor the private sector nor civil society. People within society must be empowered to find solutions," he argued.

In its 2002 annual report, Berlin-based TI rated Indonesia and Kenya as the fourth-most corrupt countries.

Pope said he believed Indonesia could reduce corruption, even though many here consider it an integral part of everyday life.

"There are many examples of countries that seem to be totally helpless in fighting corruption as they considered it a complex crime. I believe Indonesia can change things if the (new) government is smart enough to capitalize on the momentum for reform and if it does it in a way that secures public support," he said.