People power crucial in Indonesia anti-graft fight

The Malaysian Insider

JAKARTA, Nov 21 — Even as three scandals rage across Indonesia and tarnish the government’s efforts to root out graft, there is one positive takeaway from the mess: Indonesia’s civil society and media are free, open and thriving.

In the months since the scandals erupted, the print media — in front-page articles and editorials — had taken a strong stance against the alleged unsavoury actions of the police and courts.

The media had also admonished President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration for being slow to take action against them.

Anti-corruption activists have insisted on an overhaul of the law enforcement system, while ordinary Indonesians have taken to the streets to protest against the claimed victimisation of the state’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in all these.

More than 1.3 million people joined a pro-KPK group on social networking site Facebook, according to Agence France-Presse.

What is taking place today is a far cry from the repressive and graft-ridden reign of former president Suharto, who gave up power 11 years ago. During his rule, the media was shackled, civil society was weak and outspoken activists were often silenced by his military regime.

Indonesia’s transition to democracy has changed mindsets. Gone are the days of grudging acceptance of government institutions as the gatekeepers of ethical behaviour.

The people who put Yudhoyono in power — re-electing him soundly for the second time in July — are now demanding that he deliver on his promises of clean government.

Their total distrust of the police and court system is understandable.

In the first scandal, the former chief of the KPK is on trial for masterminding a murder, even as new evidence emerges to suggest that he was set up by the police.

In the separate second case, the police chief investigator is claiming to have played no role in a bank scandal despite evidence produced by the KPK.

In the third case, the police and courts are using patchy evidence to claim that two deputies of the KPK accepted bribes. Anti-graft activists insist the duo are being punished by law enforcement officials rebelling against the KPK’s wide reach.

A team of eight legal professionals tasked by Yudhoyono to look into possible collusion by the police and courts in the third case has put forth its recommendations. Among other things, the team suggested that charges against the two men be dropped and sanctions levelled against top police officers and prosecutors.

The KPK staff did make administrative errors from time to time, the team conceded, but the police case against the two men was weak.

The President responded by saying he will not be pressured into reacting, and will announce his decision next Monday. He has asked top police officers and prosecutors to respond to the team’s findings.

Analysts caution that the longer Yudhoyono takes to make a decision, the more foreign investors and Indonesians will start to perceive that he has motives for dithering.

Said senior magazine editor Bambang Harymurti to foreign journalists earlier this week: “The President should understand that democratic leaders do not fall because of scandals, but because of attempts to cover them up.”

Yudhoyono faces a difficult choice. He is committed to his election promises, but cannot alienate top law enforcement officials and embarrass other Jakarta elite linked to the cases.

Analysts have offered multiple theories of what the President might do on Monday. These include ways in which he can reduce the public shaming of top law enforcement officials while using the opportunity to clean up the system, and clearing the reputation of the KPK and its embattled officials at the same time.

Whatever he does next week, Indonesia is at a crossroads. The President’s decision will determine how Indonesians remember him. As a business development manager remarked to me recently: ‘These events have shown how closely Yudhoyono’s popularity is tied to his promised reforms, and perceptions of him back-pedalling have already affected goodwill towards him.”

It will also determine the pace of Indonesia’s development, either kick-starting other wide-ranging changes to the bloated bureaucracy, or signalling to the world that the country will need a bit more time to get to where it wants. — ST

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WORLDWIDE CORRUPTION 2009

2009 - Transparency International uses estimates of the size and frequency of bribes as well as survey evidence and expert assessments.