Wahono says lip service won't combat corruption

JAKARTA (JP): House Speaker Wahono said yesterday that the government campaign to combat corruption and collusion should not rest on words alone.

Addressing legislators in closing the current House session, Wahono said that there was no call for rhetoric or the trading of accusations over graft, since these would not solve the problem.

"We have to pay attention to corruption and collusion in view of the high-cost economy which they will bring about, but it will be better for to develop courageous behavior by refraining from blaming others for the irregularities," Wahono said.

"Each of us must engage in introspection, an attitude that will prove our maturity," he added.

Wahono was apparently commenting on a polemic sparked by Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo a few weeks ago. Siswono said the anticorruption drive would be a success if senior government officials voluntarily declared their wealth prior to and after the completion of their terms of office.

State Minister of Administrative Reforms T.B. Silalahi poured cold water on Siswono's suggestion, saying that the country already had mechanisms for controlling the wealth of high-ranking officials.

With discussion of the issue becoming more prevalent, Silalahi told a hearing with the House's commission on internal affairs last Monday that incompetent officials should stop talking about corruption.

Wahono said government officials carried the burden of meeting public demands because it was the people who granted them their positions.

"We always have to remind them that they are receiving an honor in assuming their posts and are obliged to show their accountability," Wahono said.

The House of Representatives will begin a recess on Monday. It will resume its sittings on Aug. 16, when President Soeharto is scheduled to deliver a state-of-the-nation speech on the eve of the national Independence Day.

It will be the last recess for the House legislators, whose five-year term expires on Sept. 30.

Wahono said that during the recess the House would send delegations to various inter-parliamentary conferences. They include the conference on sustainable development held by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in New York, the conference on women's roles, health and environment held by the IMPO doctors' association in Bangkok and the 18th general session of the Association of Inter-Parliament Organizations (AIPO) in Denpasar.

After the recess, the House will continue deliberations of seven government-sponsored bills and amendments to the House's internal rules. (amd)