State audit commission fails to reach target

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The State Officials' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) failed to reach its target of scrutinizing the finances of at least 1,500 officials due in part to a distinct lack of enthusiasm from its members and staff members during the current year-end festivities.

The 25-strong commission had earlier planned to complete the examinations of at least 1,500 public officials by the end of this year.

Commission chairman Jusuf Syakir admitted that most of the commission members and the secretariat-general's staff members have not been around this week due to the holidays, and probably will not start working again in earnest until after the New Year.

"I could not have predicted this situation. I can do nothing but tolerate it," Jusuf told The Jakarta Post by phone on Saturday.

This seemingly relaxed attitude contrasts greatly from the attitude in 2000 when the commission was still fairly new. At that time, the commission vowed to audit the officials' wealth thoroughly, despite problems or opposition.

The commission was established in 1999 as part of the government's efforts to combat corruption, and is accountable only to the president.

The commission is required to present its accountability report of its examination results for the period of August through December 2001, to the president in early January.

Data released by the commission shows that only some 5,000 of the 30,000 registry forms which were handed over to state officials across the country have been completed and returned.

Each of the four sub-commissions has to process the 5,000 documents through a series of assessment stages. Firstly, they must announce the wealth report to the public, then re-assess them and finally, must carry out factual checks in the field.

The sub-commissions are also required to make an analysis report and convey that report to a plenary meeting of the commission. "I guess we can finish it by the end of December," Jusuf said.

The four sub-commissions are assigned to different branches of government and work separately on the wealth of officials from the legislative, judicial, executive and state enterprises, respectively.

The commission has been criticized as a "toothless tiger" by many anticorruption groups. Last month, while apparently seeking more teeth and tougher punishment for those who fail to disclose, or lie about, the source of their wealth, they had a meeting with the president.

During the meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri last month, Jusuf revealed that three Cabinet-level ministers had failed to return their wealth reports to the commission.

But, Jusuf confirmed on Saturday that two of them, Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agiel Munawar and State Minister of the Acceleration of Development in Eastern Indonesia Manuel Kaisiepo had recently turned in their forms.

"I have yet to receive a wealth report from the foreign minister," he added.