The AG office to optimize itself
The AG office to optimize itself
From Koran Tempo
The "operational costs" for running the Attorney General's Office (AGO) is not a tiny sum. It is undeniably part of the various burdens on the state's annual budget, which is horribly in the red and has compelled our country to "beg" for loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) among others.
Is the AGO truly aware of this tragic and demeaning reality? It is therefore only appropriate, to use a polite word, that the people demand optimum performance, a productivity that is reflected in victories in major corruption cases: the sharks and the whales instead of the small fries.
Narrowing our focus only on the reform era, the AGO, since the time of former Attorney General Andi Ghalib, has squandered state funds with its incomplete and not-too-thorough work. For this, it has to be held accountable.
What about the cases involving state-owned banks, such as Bapindo, Exim, BBD, BDN, BNI and BRI? They were bankrupted by their directors, the so called professionals with huge salaries, who are now living in luxury houses in foreign countries and having their children educated abroad. Isn't this pathetic?
At PT PAL in Surabaya five jetfoil ships, bought for US$75 million, have been lying unused since their purchase 15 years ago. Though they are sitting idle (and with almost no risk) on the docks, the insurance premiums have been continuously paid. On top of that, the word is they were actually worth $25 million then.
A part of the long laundry list for the AG office is: the National Aircraft Industry (IPTN), the state-owned electric company (PLN), the national flag-carrier Garuda and other state- owned enterprises as well as previous purchases of defense weaponry.
The current Buloggate II scandal, in my opinion, is a minor case compared with countless others. Anyway, the crux of the matter is for the AGO to get their act together and attempt to retrieve the nation's -- meaning the people's -- money. Only then can the AGO prove its sincerity in alleviating some of our country's burden.
RAMA
Jakarta