[Kabar-indonesia] Opposition Mounting in Indonesian House to Govt's Antigraft Decree

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

The Jakarta Post
Thursday, June 22, 2006

House balks at antigraft decree 

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Opposition is mounting against the government's plan to issue a decree 
reviving the authority of state oversight bodies to handle corruption cases 
involving officials.

Politicians at the House of Representatives balked at the proposal, saying 
that it would compromise the national antigraft drive and sideline the 
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). 

"The planned regulation should not have the intention of diminishing the role 
of KPK," House Speaker Agung Laksono said Wednesday. 

Agung said any efforts to fight graft by the government should not compromise 
the powers of the judiciary or the KPK. 

Lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle 
said the planned the oversight bodies would only work to protect corrupt 
officials. 

"The reason KPK was set up in the first place is precisely because the 
internal oversight bodies had failed to do their job," Eva told The Jakarta Post. 

The government recently said it would revive the functions of internal 
oversight bodies such as the Regional Oversight Body (Bawasda) and the inspectorate 
general in every ministry and the Financial and Development Oversight Agency 
(Bawasda) to handle corruption allegations and decide whether they should be 
investigated by the police or be handled internally. 

Speaking after a meeting with Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh, Justice 
and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin, Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi and 
police officials, Home Minister M. Ma'ruf said the government was working on a 
presidential decree to implement the changes. 

In the draft, oversight bodies will responsible for replying to reports of 
alleged corruption in government departments from the public. 

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said extra provisions to protect government 
officials would also be inserted as an amendment to the Law on State 
Administrations. 

However, the decree's critics say it is another example of the government 
backtracking on its promise to fight graft by working to protect officials from 
corruption charges. 

In a hearing with House Commission III on law and legislation Tuesday, the 
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) called on the government not to 
undermine its role. 

"We fully understand the government's concern about slander and blackmail. 
However, the solution should not be to revive the role of internal oversight 
bodies, but instead to improve the performance of existing law enforcers," KPK 
deputy chairman Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean said. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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