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.