Susilo becomes more realistic about war against corruption
Susilo becomes more realistic about war against corruption
Zakki P. Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Fighting corruption remains the government's top priority,
although it is now realizing that it might not be able to
completely eradicate it, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says.
"I am realistic in accepting that we will probably not be able
to completely eradicate corruption from Indonesia. But I am also
realistic in expecting that corruption in this country will
become the exception rather than the rule," the President said on
Monday.
Speaking at a seminar attended by leading editors from Asia
and Europe in Jakarta, Susilo said that corruption was the most
important issue for the voters, and this would still be true four
years from now.
When Susilo assumed office last year, he vowed to curb rampant
corruption in the country, which was said to be the main cause of
Indonesia's high-cost economy that hampered the nation's
competitiveness.
Among the efforts in fighting corruption was bringing persons
involved in embezzling Bank Indonesia liquidity support funds
(BLBI) to court in order to recover state money.
Dozens of former bankers and bank owners have been accused of
misusing billions of dollars worth of funds channeled to salvage
ailing banks in the wake of the 1997 financial crisis. According
to one estimate the scandal caused state losses amounting to
around Rp 137 trillion (US$14.4 billion).
Previous governments have been strongly criticized for failing
to take firm action against the corrupt bankers -- who are mostly
politically well-connected people -- and for not taking action to
recover state losses, thus leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
"I have formed a Special Team to Fight Corruption (Tipikor),
consisting of 45 dedicated professionals, to uncover 'big fish'
corruption cases," he said in the seminar organized by the
Singapore-based Konrad-Adenauer Foundation in cooperation with
The Jakarta Post.
Since becoming President, he added, he had given the police
and the attorney general permission to investigate 59 high
officials throughout the country, including governors,
legislators, regents and mayors.
He also launched a campaign against illegal loggers, that
resulted in hundreds of them being put in jail.
Moreover, Susilo said that he had signed a Presidential Decree
ordering that all ministers and government agencies undertake
systematic efforts to clean up corruption in their respective
departments, and to periodically report their efforts to the
President personally.
"What I intend to demonstrate is that no-one is untouchable.
No-one can escape the arms of justice forever," he said.
The President said that Indonesia had now transformed itself
into the world's third largest democracy, which gave him an
overwhelming political and moral mandate for change, and he
intended to emanate the change very clearly from the top and
radiate outward from the center throughout the whole system.
"Indonesia's history has taught us this important lesson: Once
you lose the people's trust, you lose credibility -- and
authority to govern -- in a way that would be extremely hard to
recover from," he said.