Sutiyoso asks for leads on corrupt officials
Sutiyoso asks for leads on corrupt officials
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The Jakarta administration has announced it plans to reopen its
public complaints mailbox to get feedback from the public
especially about alleged corruption involving city officials.
"We need information from the public (on possible corruption).
That's why we will reopen the mailbox," Governor Sutiyoso said on
Monday after meeting Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)
members at City Hall.
However, residents could only write directly to Sutiyoso
through PO Box 0008 after the administration had legalized it in
a decree, he said.
Sutiyoso promised to immediately follow up all complaints
filed.
"We will establish a team to help follow up the complaints,
whose members will involve non-governmental organization
activists concerned with corruption practices."
While, he acknowledged corruption existed in his
administration, Sutiyoso said it was lower than in previous
governments thanks to a carrot-and-stick policy imposed on his
subordinates.
In 1997, the administration opened a similar complaints box to
receive reports on corruption.
The city also formed the Reform Implementation and Control
Team (TP2R) to follow up the complaints and bring the evidence to
the attention of police or prosecutors.
However, in 2000, the administration dissolved the team after
the city council criticized it for being ineffectual in following
up the complaints.
No cases implicating high-ranking city officials were ever
been brought to court based on complaints made through the
mailbox.
It is still not yet clear whether the new team will be given
legal powers, or whether whistle-blowers will be given anonymity
or protection from defamation suits. None of these powers and
protects were part of the first mailbox.
At the meeting, KPK deputy chairman Tumpak Hatorangan
Panggabean said the commission was still investigating an alleged
markup in the procurement of new buses for the busway project.
"We are still delving into the case in cooperation with the
Supreme Audit Agency (BPK)," Tumpak said.
He said the commission would summon relevant city officials
for questioning if it discovered adequate evidence pointing to
graft.
He called on the City Audit Agency to take an active role in
tracking down alleged corruption cases in the city agencies,
offices and companies.
Critics have said the City Audit Agency mainly relied on
information made available by the public and media.
They have also strongly criticized it for failing to provide
transparent information to the public over its findings on
irregularities involving city officials.
The agency reported early this year it had successfully
completed 102 cases of the 108 cases it investigated last year.
At least 116 officials were involved in the cases and most had
received some punishment, ranging from warnings to dismissal, it
reported, without detailing the cases and punishment given.