Political contract, a source of irony and amusement

Kornelius Purba, Jakarta

When asked about the decision of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to oblige his ministers to sign a "political contract" before their appointments, a senior government official who has served three presidents replied, "You remember president Habibie?"

According to the official, top government officials from the central government down to the lowest tier of local government obediently followed the habits of President B.J. Habibie, who replaced Soeharto in 1998 and then ruled the country until October 1999.

"When Habibie pronounced the word ekonomi in the English way, wore a peci and hugged people and kissed their cheeks, regardless of whether they were men or women, nearly all government officials started pronouncing the word ekonomi like native English speakers. They also suddenly became enthusiastic about embracing other people," the official said laughing.

"As soon as Habibie was out, we stopped kissing each other," he added.

What he wanted to say was that these contracts could go the same way as the parroting of Habibie's habits by his ministers. In Indonesia, when a minister likes to wear batik the staff of the ministry will very likely follow his example. Susilo once described how one of his close aides made the same mistakes as he did when they played golf together.

When the wife of then president Soeharto, Tien, was still alive, it was virtually impossible for a state employee, whether military or civilian, to divorce his wife or take another wife as Tien was very strict about the anti-polygamy rules. After she died in 1996, the rules slowly but surely came to be ignored.

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab has announced that all first and second echelon officials in the ministries that he oversees will be required to sign political contracts. According to law, all civil servants are required to be loyal to the state and not to the government. It is not inconceivable that the Jakarta governor, Sutiyoso, will also order his subordinates to sign a loyalty pledge (hopefully not just to the governor but to Jakartans as well), and for his subordinates to also require their subordinates to ink such documents

Journalists will likely be receiving many more invitations from local government offices to cover similar ceremonies in the near future.

Susilo is the country's first president who was directly elected by the people. He clearly realized that the people want a evidence that their new leader will perform better then his predecessor, Megawati Soekarnoputri, in eradicating corruption and in upholding the law. He won a strong mandate for this from the people.

The 36-strong Cabinet have signed written pledges expressing a readiness to be fired anytime by the President if they failed to remain honest, clean and loyal to the state. The ministers must also realize their only duty is to serve the President in bringing Indonesia out its current economic difficulties.

The ministers must remember it is much more difficult to be elected as a legislator at the local level compared to becoming a Cabinet member. A legislator must first win the approval of his party to be nominated as a councillor by the party and then he must fight to win the seat together with his party. To become a minister, however, it is enough just to get the nod from the President.

Even without the contract, the ministers should be ashamed of themselves if they fail to stay clean and honest. With the Koran for Muslims, the Bible for Protestants and Catholics, and the relevant holy books for Buddhists and Hindus, they vow to reject "bribery in any form, and to be loyal to the state" during their installation ceremonies.

But it is not uncommon that such swearing-in ceremonies at the State Palace are also attended by businessmen, who are later found to be working closely with the ministers in enriching not just the state but also their own pockets. There are rumors that a fugitive from justice was those present during the installation of the Cabinet last Thursday.

Quoting a Minang anecdote, a friend said that if he was one day to be sworn in as a government official, he would say in his oath, "I swear I will not accept any bribes except when I have no choice".

We must give an opportunity to the President to prove his commitment. Compared to his five predecessors, Susilo is not only the president with the most legitimacy but also the best prepared president. As a military officer, he must have been well-versed as regards dirty practices in government, including corruption and abuse of power.

First of all, people want to see that his family -- his two sons, wife and relatives -- do not become involved in business, directly or indirectly. When Megawati became president in 2001 she boasted that her family, including her husband Taufik Kiemas and her relatives, would shun the temptation to abuse power during her presidency. If asked now, could she still convince the public that Taufik is as clean as she promised he would be three years ago?

The contract is a symbol of a strong determination on the part of Susilo to create a clean and effective government. He has visited the tax and customs and excise offices, the Attorney General's Office and National Police Headquarters. These four institutions are perceived by the public as being mired in corruption.

Despite his lack of support in the House of Representatives, Susilo has the overwhelming support of the people. The public are rational enough not to expect too much from their new leader. What they expect is that Susilo will be honest, smart and courageous enough to fulfill his promises. Indonesians understand the mammoth task confronting him.

He has all the necessary qualifications to lead the country. If he is able to clean up his inner circle, then people will be convinced that he is really serious. The President has decided to live at the Merdeka Palace so as to make his comings and goings more visible to his people. However, we should not forget that when president Abdurrahman Wahid lived in the palace during his nearly two-year presidency, dodgy business people found that access was not completely closed off to him.

The author is a staff writer for The Jakarta Post. He can be reached at purba@thejakartapost.com