Strong, respected govt required to combat corruption

Strong, respected govt required to combat corruption

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government's lack of legitimacy and political will has
allowed corruption to flourish, say activist students, the
vanguard of the country's reform movement.

They also suggested that the country, which has been mired in
protracted multidimensional crises, badly needs a powerful
government with strong commitment to combating corruption.

"We need a strong government and national leaders with
excellent leadership skills to combat corruption," Robert Nalenan
from the Indonesian Catholic Students Association (PMKRI) told
The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Fellow activist Kholis Malik from the Islamic Students
Association (HMI) concurred and suggested that an overhaul in the
country's state administration was necessary.

"Corruption is rampant in almost all sectors in both the
central and regional administrations," Kholis said.

The two activists were commenting on a survey released by the
Berlin-based Transparency International that named Indonesia as
one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

According to the survey, Indonesia is the second most corrupt
country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
after Myanmar, and the third in Asia after Bangladesh and
Myanmar.

Rampant corruption, collusion, nepotism practices in both the
bureaucracy and the private sector have been blamed for the
economic crisis that has beleaguered the country since 1997, with
the rupiah plunging and unemployment soaring.

Students, who spearheaded the country's reform movement that
culminated in the downfall of former dictator Soeharto in May
1998, had demanded sweeping reforms, including the prosecution of
big time corrupters.

Five years after Soeharto's forced resignation, however,
Indonesia has yet to see a big time corrupter put behind bars.

House of Representative Speaker Akbar Tandjung was sentenced
to three years in prison for his role in a high-profile financial
scandal involving the National Logistics Agency (Bulog).

However, Akbar, who is also chairman of Golkar, the second
biggest faction in the House, remains free pending appeal.

Kwik Kian Gie, head of the National Development Planning Board
and a leader of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), once said that corruption was much
worse now than in the past.

Fellow PDI Perjuangan legislators Emir Moeis acknowledged that
corruption still existed.

Emir suggested that all offices tasked with supervising
financial affairs must focus their activities on the money
allocated for regional development.

"The potential corruption is there because the amount of money
distributed to regional administrations is Rp 114 trillion ($13.4
billion)," Emir said.

Separately, officials from the National Law Commission (KHN)
disclosed on Wednesday that the government would set up a special
court to deal with corruption cases.

The special court dealing with corruption cases will be first
set up in Jakarta.

"The Attorney General's Office is doing the preparations for
the setting up of that special court," KHN member Harkristuti
Harkrisnowo was quoted by Antara as saying in Sanur, Bali, on
Wednesday.

Thirty 30 state prosecutors and 10 judges are to get special
courses for the court, she added.

In the meantime, KHN chairman J.E. Sahetapy said the House's
legal commission was prepared to probe corruption cases
considered to be conducted improperly.

Sahetapy said the commission would only be able to reopen
corruption cases if there was a demand from the people to do so.

He emphasized that corruption was rampant at all levels of
society. According to him, revision of existing laws would not be
enough to combat corruption.

"It must be combined with consistency and morality," he added.