PDI-P the most corrupt, Kwik says

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) is the most corrupt party in Indonesia and will crumble during the next elections, PDI-Perjuangan's very own State Minister of National Development Planning Kwik Kian Gie said Monday.

"The largest corruption is committed by my party. PDI Perjuangan is on brink of disarray. It will break down in the next election," he told participants of a national meeting on administrative reform in his capacity as minister.

The meeting was opened by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who chairs PDI Perjuangan, at the State Palace earlier Monday. The President was not present during Kwik's speech at the Sahid Jaya hotel on Jl. Sudirman.

PDI Perjuangan is one of many parties founded in the wake of reform movement that deposed the corrupt-ridden, 32-year regime of Soeharto in May 1998.

Kwik, however, failed to provide evidence or reasons for his controversial statement, but focused on a complaint from the head of West Java's settlement and regional infrastructure office.

The minister said the official had complained about a number of PDI Perjuangan supporters who came to his office to demand projects.

"We are more afraid of PDI Perjuangan members than Police Mobile Brigade officers because party supporters threatened to mobilize the masses if their requests were turned down. The fear is that as PDI Perjuangan dominates the provincial legislative council, they can fire us," Kwik quoted the official as saying.

Kwik, who heads PDI Perjuangan's research and development division, said he possessed concrete data about corruption committed by his party, but the data could not be easily used as evidence.

"We have concrete data about the corruption but we lack documents to bring the persons involved to justice," he said.

To save the party, he said, he had formed a team of 20 party activists who were committed to the party.

"The team will continue attracting more members who share the same concerns," he said.

Kwik often has a different voice to that of the Cabinet, including on the issues of privatization, the role of the International Monetary Fund in Indonesia and foreign loans.

He recently said the nation had wasted Rp 444 trillion (US$49 billion) of its assets, partly due to corrupt state funds.