Susilo puts the squeeze on corruption

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Nusa Dua, Bali

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has repeated his promise to seriously fight corruption at all levels of both state and private institutions, establishing a special team to strengthen and speed up his antigraft drive.

"Once the anticorruption wheels and machine runs, (it must) never stop," he said in Jakarta on Wednesday after inaugurating the team, which is led by Deputy Attorney General for special crimes Hendarman Supandji.

The team, called the Coordinating Team for Corruption Eradication, was established under Presidential Decree No. 11/2005, and comprised prosecutors, police officials and state auditors.

Earlier on Wednesday, Susilo told the opening of the 15th Inter-Pacific Bar Association Conference in Nusa Dua, Bali, that he would enforce the rule of law in combating corruption and bringing to justice anyone involved in corrupt practices.

"There will be no more room for corruption. Not anymore. The time has come to deal seriously with corruption, which has brought so many problems to the country," he said before more than 500 lawyers and legal practitioners from 40 countries at the five-day conference.

Susilo said his government would not only focus on improving macroeconomic conditions in the country, but also social and security conditions.

"Our main priority is to build a good legal framework and to enforce the rule of law in order to create legal certainty in the country and build good governance.

"You (lawyers) have to play a significant role in the fight against corruption. You are also important agents in creating a just and prosperous society," he said.

Susilo said last week his government was ready to begin tackling the problem of corruption, starting with his own office.

The government will soon audit the Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President, the Office of the Cabinet Secretary and the Office of the State Secretary, as well as their foundations.

Last year, Susilo issued a Presidential Instruction to accelerate the national anticorruption campaign. However, he has admitted that the drive has thus far borne little fruit.

The President had also reached an agreement with the Attorney General, the National Police, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the Anti-Money Laundering Center (PPATK) and National Ombudsman to meet once a month to coordinate and synchronize the antigraft movement.

The government has also set up a team consisting of prosecutors, police officers, State Audit Body (BPK) officials, and those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hunt graft suspects and convicts who fled abroad.

The team, labeled the "Swindler's Hunting Team", was initiated and is led by Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi claimed the establishment of the new team would not overlap with other antigraft teams or commissions, such as KPK.

During Wednesday's opening session of the Bali conference that had the theme "Getting it Right in the New Asia: The Rule of Law in Regional Economic Development", Andrew Steer, country director for the World Bank in Indonesia, said economic development had fundamentally changed.

For the past 25 years, the stress had been on macroeconomic, trade and investment development.

"Now it has changed drastically," Steer said. "Asian countries have experienced rapid progress in macroeconomic conditions, social sectors and many others."

"But these countries have done poorly in building good governance and in the enforcement of the rule of law," he said, adding that good policies were not sustainable without implementing laws to promote economic development.

Jusuf Wanandi, executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said that over the past 30 years economic development in Indonesia had been built on "fragile" economic and political grounds.

During the New Order regime of Soeharto, the judicial system was marginalized. When the regime ended, Soeharto's political and economical stability crumbled overnight, he said.

"It is urgent to establish legal certainty to regain international trust and to draw back investment to the country," Jusuf said.