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.