Sanur, NU Online
With graft cases continuing to plague state agencies, it shows that the government has not been serious in its efforts to combat corruption, participants at a three-day seminar heard Saturday (26/1).
The seminar was held in the lead-up to the five-day State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) conference, which will begin Monday in Nusa Dua, Bali.<>
"The government and its legal institutions are not serious. Their efforts are just a way they are trying to show the international community Indonesia has done all it can to raise its image," activist Febri Diansyah from Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said in a speech to close the forum.
The report he read to close the seminar was issued by representatives from dozens of Indonesian civil society organizations.
Representatives from the Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia and Transparency International Indonesia (TII) were among participants at the conference.
"Indonesia's civil society organizations have agreed to ask state parties at the UNCAC meeting to help Indonesia recover state assets taken abroad, especially those related to (former president) Soeharto," Bambang Tri Kuncoro from the Partnership for Governance Reform said.
Participants at the seminar concluded that up to 78 percent of more than 36,000 graft cases reported by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) since the reform era were yet to be followed up on by related agencies, despite the fact they allegedly caused up to Rp 3,658 trillion in state losses.
Out of thousands of graft cases reported last year, only 82 were solved, with 166 cases solved in 2006. The state allegedly lost Rp 14 trillion due to graft in 2007 and 1.5 trillion in 2006, the report revealed.
The report concluded that the "half-hearted efforts" of the government to fight corruption were also evident in the reluctance of authorities to arrest high-profile suspects.
Out of 175 suspects in cases solved in 2007, only two were high-ranking ministers, while 67 were regents or state company directors and 108 were low-level officials. The Jakarta Post reported.
The energy and electricity sector topped the list of 82 graft cases resolved in 2007, causing Rp 566 billion in state losses, while the misuse of funds for agriculture and from regional budgets cost the state Rp 217 billion and Rp 155 billion in losses respectively.
Corrupt practices within the judiciary contribute to the continuation of corruption in the country, the report read.
As an example, the Attorney General's Office has failed to recover Rp 150 trillion in state funds stolen by suspects in the BLBI (Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance) cases, while it has only managed to recover 40 percent of graft-related funds from court cases it has won since 2003.
TII chairman Todung Mulya Lubis said worsening corruption in Indonesia was partly due to the influence of businesses.
"The state and the business sector have both contributed to the worsening state of corruption in Indonesia."
"Civil society groups should direct their attention toward businesspeople as well as the state when they are campaigning for the eradication of corruption," he told a press briefing after the seminar.
A survey released by Transparency International ranked Indonesia 143 out of 179 countries surveyed last year in terms of corruption. The country had a corruption perception index of 2.3, down from 2.4 in 2006 when it was ranked 130 out of 163 countries.
The survey found that the Indonesian police force was the most corrupt institution in the country, followed by the judiciary, the legislature and political parties. (dar)
With graft cases continuing to plague state agencies, it shows that the government has not been serious in its efforts to combat corruption, participants at a three-day seminar heard Saturday (26/1).
The seminar was held in the lead-up to the five-day State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) conference, which will begin Monday in Nusa Dua, Bali.<>
"The government and its legal institutions are not serious. Their efforts are just a way they are trying to show the international community Indonesia has done all it can to raise its image," activist Febri Diansyah from Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said in a speech to close the forum.
The report he read to close the seminar was issued by representatives from dozens of Indonesian civil society organizations.
Representatives from the Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia and Transparency International Indonesia (TII) were among participants at the conference.
"Indonesia's civil society organizations have agreed to ask state parties at the UNCAC meeting to help Indonesia recover state assets taken abroad, especially those related to (former president) Soeharto," Bambang Tri Kuncoro from the Partnership for Governance Reform said.
Participants at the seminar concluded that up to 78 percent of more than 36,000 graft cases reported by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) since the reform era were yet to be followed up on by related agencies, despite the fact they allegedly caused up to Rp 3,658 trillion in state losses.
Out of thousands of graft cases reported last year, only 82 were solved, with 166 cases solved in 2006. The state allegedly lost Rp 14 trillion due to graft in 2007 and 1.5 trillion in 2006, the report revealed.
The report concluded that the "half-hearted efforts" of the government to fight corruption were also evident in the reluctance of authorities to arrest high-profile suspects.
Out of 175 suspects in cases solved in 2007, only two were high-ranking ministers, while 67 were regents or state company directors and 108 were low-level officials. The Jakarta Post reported.
The energy and electricity sector topped the list of 82 graft cases resolved in 2007, causing Rp 566 billion in state losses, while the misuse of funds for agriculture and from regional budgets cost the state Rp 217 billion and Rp 155 billion in losses respectively.
Corrupt practices within the judiciary contribute to the continuation of corruption in the country, the report read.
As an example, the Attorney General's Office has failed to recover Rp 150 trillion in state funds stolen by suspects in the BLBI (Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance) cases, while it has only managed to recover 40 percent of graft-related funds from court cases it has won since 2003.
TII chairman Todung Mulya Lubis said worsening corruption in Indonesia was partly due to the influence of businesses.
"The state and the business sector have both contributed to the worsening state of corruption in Indonesia."
"Civil society groups should direct their attention toward businesspeople as well as the state when they are campaigning for the eradication of corruption," he told a press briefing after the seminar.
A survey released by Transparency International ranked Indonesia 143 out of 179 countries surveyed last year in terms of corruption. The country had a corruption perception index of 2.3, down from 2.4 in 2006 when it was ranked 130 out of 163 countries.
The survey found that the Indonesian police force was the most corrupt institution in the country, followed by the judiciary, the legislature and political parties. (dar)
