August 31, 2010
ANALYSIS
JAKARTA -- Indonesia’s fight against corruption has taken a worrying turn in recent months, raising doubts about President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s commitment to eradicate graft in one of Asia’s most corrupt nations.
Investors pay close attention to reform and the fight against graft for signs of progress or back-sliding. Endemic corruption is one reason why US and European businesses have shunned Southeast Asia’s biggest economy in recent years, although poor infrastructure, red tape and legal uncertainty are also factors.
But some Indonesians fear Yudhoyono is "going soft" on such crimes after he pardoned a former local government official who had been imprisoned for embezzling state funds.
Several former central bank officials who had been imprisoned for their role in a corruption case also had their sentences reduced, including the father-in-law of Yudhoyono’s eldest son.
The pardon and remissions were among hundreds that traditionally take place on Independence Day, but the inclusion this year of prisoners who had been involved in major corruption cases prompted a volley of angry letters to the local press.
"This policy once again adds to a long list of examples of the inconsistent attitude of the Indonesian government on corruption verdicts," said Risza Fransiscus in a letter to the Jakarta Post. "This is a bad precedent and really embarrassing."
Indonesia has made modest progress: its standing in Transparency International’s corruption perception index has risen from a score of 2.0 in 2004 to 2.8 in 2009, where a score of zero is the most corrupt and 10 is the cleanest.
But anti-graft officers have their work cut out. Newspapers are so awash with stories of corruption that readers are in danger of being no longer shocked by the scale of the problem.
"The law enforcers are like hunters in a zoo: corruption is so widespread, they can take a shot and easily catch something," said Febri Hendri, a researcher at Indonesia Corruption Watch.
Ask Indonesians whether they sat a driving test and they may well admit to paying a bribe to get a driving licence.
Need a passport? There are always lots of touts at the immigration office who are willing to ensure your application makes its way to the top of the pile quickly in return for a "fee."
Traffic police are notorious for stopping motorists and drivers under the pretense of some minor traffic offense. The easiest way to escape is to pay a bribe of about 50,000 rupiah ($5).
At the other end of the spectrum, a widely reported scandal involved a junior tax officer who was suspected of taking bribes from corporate clients for "adjusting" their tax claims.
Mixed signals
The lenient treatment of offenders is a red flag for foreigners and Indonesians, who are already concerned about attacks on reformers and officials at the powerful anti-graft commission by those businessmen, politicians, and law enforcement officials who have most to lose from any clean-up.
Critics say Yudhoyono has been too slow to defend officials at the forefront of the anti-graft campaign, sending mixed signals to the corrupt who see no reason to change their ways.
Former Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, a top reformer who overhauled the corrupt tax and customs deparments, eventually quit after months of personal attacks.
The anti-corruption commission, known here by its Indonesian acronym KPK, also faced attack. Its chairman, Antasari Azhar, was detained in May 2009 and found guilty of ordering the murder of a businessman in a bizarre love triangle. He has denied the charges and is appealing the court’s decision.
Two deputy chairmen at the KPK were arrested on corruption charges in October. They were found to have been framed by law enforcement officials and businessmen who wanted to undermine the agency. Both cases slowed down the KPK’s work for several months last year.
The agency has been leaderless for months, but a new chairman is expected to be selected shortly.
"A very strong leader is needed for the KPK because the counter-attacks from those who are not happy to see corruption eradicated are very strong and getting stronger," said Chandra M. Hamzah, one of the two KPK deputies who was framed and freed.
"There will be intervention, from all quarters. If you don’t have the fortitude to endure that, there will be problems. Those counter-attacks are becoming stronger and more frequent and are taking a wider range of forms, ranging from the subtle to the not so subtle." -- Reuters
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق