ck..ck...tempat mana yang gak ada koruspinya di Indonesia ya?
salam,
andri
Political parties a safe haven for corrupt politicians
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta
A progressive-thinking Cabinet member during the New Order era once said
that to cover up past wrongdoings and avoid prosecution, one had to cling
to the power he now had and if possible accumulate even more power.
There is no way to go but up, he said.
Although this statement described former president Soeharto's last-gasp
efforts to stay in power and protect the interests of his family and
cronies, it still rings true in light of current events, which have seen
politicians seeking a safe haven in political parties from prosecutors who
are after their scalps.
A blatant example of this worrying trend occurred last week when a
beleaguered member of the General Elections Commission (KPU), Anas
Urbaningrum, resigned from his post only to join the ranks of the
Democratic Party, the political vehicle of President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono.
Anas made the move in the midst of the legal quagmire all of the
commission members have become caught up in as a result of corruption
allegations.
Two senior members of the elections commission, chairman Nazaruddin
Syamsuddin and Mulyana W. Kusumah, are already behind bars, while others
are still being questioned by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Anas did not admit his move was inspired by the desire to obtain
protection from his legal entanglements, saying he had been offered a
position in the party three months before the Democratic Party convened in
May to elect new leadership.
But people could be forgiven for thinking that even if Anas had been
offered the position nine months ago, he would have accepted it as he must
have sensed the approaching danger.
A coalition of non-governmental organizations filed a complaint with the
Corruption Eradication Commission about alleged corruption in the
elections commission as early as August 2004.
The move by the former chairman of the Association of Islamic Students was
the latest instance of an individual with a troubled past jumping on the
bandwagon of a political party.
Less than two months after taking over the helm of the National Mandate
Party (PAN) from charismatic leader Amien Rais, new party head Soetrisno
Bachir already had landed in hot water.
The businessman-cum-politician was caught up in the loan scandal at state
Bank Mandiri after his name was included on a list of businesspeople with
bad debts issued by the Ministry of Finance.
Rumors of Soetrisno's possible link to the scandal were already circulated
during PAN's congress last May, but he was still elected as the party's
new leader in Semarang, Central Java, thanks to support from Amien, who
still has the greatest say in the direction of the party.
Other politicians whose names appear on the list issued by the Ministry of
Finance in connection with the Bank Mandiri scandal are Habil Marati and
Osman Sapta.
The former is a central board member of the United Development Party (PPP)
and a member of House of Representatives Commission XI on finance and
banking affairs. A company owned by Habil allegedly owes a debt of Rp 54
billion to Bank Mandiri.
Osman was head of the Regional Unity Party, a political party that failed
to pass the electoral threshold of 3 percent of the total national vote in
the last general election.
He is accused of having a bad debt of US$23 million to Bank Mandiri.
Following an audit by the Supreme Audit Agency, the Attorney General's
Office is now investigating the case.
All of the politicians, aside from Anas, made their names as businessmen
before making the plunge into politics. The inevitable impression is that
these people have built up power bases in political parties in order to
help protect themselves from prosecution related to their business
dealings.
Faced with the need to protect themselves, they may have seen the
possibility of manipulating political parties to shield themselves from
any legal hassles.
Business and politics was the perfect marriage.
Late last year, corruption watchdog Transparency International Indonesia
published a report that said political parties, along with the House of
Representatives, were the two most corrupt institutions in the country.
Although the report was hardly prophetic given that most people already
had a pretty good idea the two institutions were corrupt, it once again
raised disturbing questions about the state of our political system.
It is time for civil society to revive the short-lived campaign against
crooked politicians, or our political parties will become a clearinghouse
for corrupt individuals and our last chance for empowering democracy will
wither away.
The writer is a journalist at The Jakarta Post.
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Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg
Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. www.ppi-india.org
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