Susilo vows to clean up graft

Susilo vows to clean up graft

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono vowed on Thursday to begin
ridding his office of corruption, part of a top-down reform drive
to stamp out the practice that infects all levels of government
in the country.

"We want to (start) cleaning up our own house. (We'll see)
whether there are violations, losses of assets or misuse (of
money) in the operations of foundations ... It is important to
ask the people -- all of us -- to eradicate corruption, but we
must start with ourselves and clean up our own houses," Susilo
said after meeting with ministers and other top state officials
to discuss the government's antigraft campaign.

He said the government would soon audit the Presidential
Office, the Vice President Office, the Office of the Cabinet
Secretary, and the Office of the State Secretary, including a
number of its foundations.

He said that the Finance and Development Comptroller (BPKP)
would audit state assets, while the Supreme Audit Agency and the
Eradication Corruption Commission (KPK) would be invited to look
into possible abuses in offices of government.

Susilo has put corruption eradication among the top priorities
of this government. He asserted on Thursday that the
anticorruption campaign launched six months ago had produced
positive results.

This month, the antigraft court has convicted three high-
ranking government officials for corruption, including the
suspended Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh, and two senior officials
at the Ministry of Communications, Harun Letlet and Tarsisius
Walla.

However, the most high-profile of the graft criminals, Puteh,
to the dismay of anticorruption activists has been able to escape
jail and is under "city detention" in Jakarta until his appeal,
when some observers believe he will walk free.

Despite this, prosecutors and the KPK continue to investigate
other high profile cases.

Susilo said that he would hold a meeting once a month to
monitor the progress of the anticorruption drive.

At the meeting, Susilo mentioned he had an eight-step plan to
curb corruption but did not give any further details.

He said the government aimed to curb graft in the procurement
of goods and services by ministries, state-owned companies and
institutions.

"The state has suffered huge losses from corruption in the
procurement area," he said.

He also assured international donors and the public the
government would make sure the massive amount of funds dedicated
for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of tsunami-hit Aceh
would not be abused.

Efforts to hunt down some 21 corrupt officials and bankers or
businessmen who have fled the country would also be intensified,
he said.

In taxation, the government would focus on the country's top
500 corporate taxpayers to make sure they paid their public dues.

"Tax and excise are the bones of our state income. Violations
will disturb our State Budget. We remind (businesses) to pay in
accordance with law. Otherwise, it's a crime and is subject to
punishment," he said.

Finally, the government would also continue to hunt down
financiers of illegal logging activities in the country, he said.

KPK chief Taufiqurrahman Ruki welcomed the President's
antigraft campaign.

"I urged the President to create a spirit among bureaucrats to
intensify corruption eradication efforts, or at least try to
prevent corrupt practices as most of them think corruption is an
ordinary thing," he said.