SBY bemoans 'dual-function politicians'

SBY bemoans 'dual-function politicians'

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Busan, South Korea

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will soon issue a presidential
instruction regulating government officials' roles in dealing
with projects funded or initiated by the state.

"There should be clear rules of the game for these kinds of
officials in order to create good governance and prevent
corruption," he said on Thursday aboard the presidential aircraft
heading to South Korea where he will attend the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation leaders meeting.

Susilo dubbed such government officials -- who misused their
authority to enrich their family or business groups by securing
government projects -- as "dwi-fungsi (dual-function)
politicians".

"Dual-function politicians are government officials who are
running their businesses at the expense of the state. Not
necessarily by being directly involved in these (businesses) but
through their family or groups," he said.

Susilo said the instruction would arrange the relations
between government officials and their families or business
groups when dealing with projects funded by the state or regional
budgets, or projects initiated by the government.

The instruction also regulates the need for business entities
owned by officials' families or business groups to make a
disclosure of their relation to officials during a tender process
for a government project.

Under the planned instruction, government officials are not
allowed to provide or leak information to their families or
business interests regarding a tender process, which could cause
unfair competition in the tender.

Information leaked by officials that could lead to insider
trading in capital markets will also be prohibited.

Susilo said he would use the instruction to try to prevent the
country's economy from being controlled by only a small group of
businessmen, which could create economic oligarchies.

"I know that some cases of nepotism are hard to prove. But
everyone should bear in mind that there is no such thing as a
perfect crime. There is always ways to prove that they are
guilty," Susilo said.

The President's Cabinet includes several prominent businessmen
-- Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Coordinating Minister for the
Economy Aburizal Bakrie, Minister of Transportation Hatta
Radjasa, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris,
State Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises
Surya Dharma Ali, State Minister of State Enterprises Sugiharto
and Minister of Forestry Malam Sambat Kaban.

Susilo urged people not to jump to the conclusion that certain
government officials were involved in corruption without
sufficient evidence. If they did they risked being charged under
the law for defamation, he said.

"I am currently investigating certain officials who it is
indicated have misused their authority for the interests of their
families or groups of businesses. (However) I must have strong
evidence before I can take necessary action against them," he
said.