Observers question commitment to fight corruption in Batam

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 11/27/2006 12:40 PM

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam

With at least eight major graft cases in Batam, Riau Islands province, in limbo, many observers are questioning the commitment of local prosecutors and police in fighting corruption.

The chairman of non-governmental organization Anti-86 Discussion Group, Tain Komari, expressed anger over the lack of progress in graft cases in Batam. The group monitors graft cases handled by the prosecutor's office, as well as media reporting on corruption.

Tain believes both the media and prosecutors are not living up to their responsibilities when it comes to graft. He said the media, both locally and nationally, did little to shed light on the progress of corruption cases through the legal system.

And, according to him, the local prosecutor's office has failed to bring most of the graft cases it has investigated to court.

""President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said not only to focus on graft cases at the national level, but also to monitor the progress of corruption cases locally. Looking at the actions of legal institutions, it seems they have become part of the problem surrounding corruption cases. This can be seen in Batam,"" Tain charged.

He said in Batam most graft cases simply disappeared. The cases never reach the courts, and the media simply stops reporting on them.

He said the failure of authorities to prosecute those suspected of graft undermined confidence in prosecutors and police. Many people in Batam believe the authorities simply lack the will to investigate corruption cases that have cost the state billions of rupiah.

""We've written to the President, the Attorney General (Abdurrahman Saleh), Justice and Human Rights Minister (Hamid Awaluddin) and the Corruption Eradication Commission dozens of times about this matter, urging them to take over (the cases), but we have not received a response,"" Tain said.

According to data from the NGO, between 2002 and 2006 the Batam Prosecutor's Office has had four different heads and there have been three different police chiefs, yet not a single graft case of note has reached the courts.

He urged the prosecutor's office and the police to make a public announcement when they halted an investigation into a graft case, explaining why the charges were not being pursued.

""The Batam Prosecutor's Office has only completed one investigation of a graft case involving fuel, and that was because the investigation was ordered by the central government. Still, the suspects were cleared by the court.

""If there is a corruption case involving a Batam resident, the case is allowed to just disappear. When we seek confirmation from the authorities, the only reply is that it is being processed ...,"" he said.

A lecturer at Riau State University's School of Social and Political Studies, Muchid Al Bintani, said the fate of corruption investigations in Batam was an interesting phenomenon in the reform era.

He said graft cases in Batam were similar in nature to those in other regions, but the legal process was completely different.

Citing an example, he said a graft case involving members of the legislative council in Padang, West Sumatra, had been tried in court and the suspects sentenced.

""But we don't see such developments in Batam. We've seen the prosecutor's office fail to issue orders to send suspects to jail. This is interesting since it has raised suspicion that Batam tolerates corruption. We don't know why the authorities act this way,"" Muchid said.

He blamed the authorities' poor performance on, among other things, a lack of control and oversight by residents, non-governmental groups, students and the media.

""The student movement in Batam is unlike those in other regions. It's the same with non-governmental groups and the press. The quality of NGOs in Batam is still poor, while the issue is unlikely to get attention from bigger NGOs ...,"" he said.

When contacted about the progress on the latest corruption cases, Batam Prosecutor's Office head Yogi Hasibuan said they were being processed.

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