Comments: Corruption costs state Rp 2 trillion

Fri, 05/15/2009 1:09 PM  |  Readers Forum

Attorney General Hendarman Supandji announced that corruption had cost the country almost Rp 2 trillion (US$194 million) between January and April 2009.

"During that period, there were around 427 cases of alleged corruption, 388 of which have gone to trial," Hendarman said during a meeting with the House of Representatives Commission-III on law affairs in Senayan, South Jakarta, on Monday.

Your comments: Common sources tell me that only around 10-20 percent of all corruptors ever get caught so the actual losses could be more like US$2 billion. No wonder people can buy homes in Menteng for Rp80 billion or more. Can we audit those homes and find out where the money to obtain them came from?

Rahadi Widodo

Editorial: Don't give up now, KPK!--May 6, p. 6

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has been looking like a dizzy boxer lately, struggling to beat the count after a big blow sent him to the floor.

The arrest of KPK chairman Antasari Azhar for his alleged involvement in a murder puts the KPK on a list of key (new) state commissions that have had to fight to retain their credibility after criminal cases implicated their members.

The post-reform General Elections Commission (KPU) saw four of its members sent to prison for corruption over their administrations handling of the 2004 elections. The respected Judicial Commission and antimonopoly commission each found that one of their members had taken bribes, and notably it was the KPK that had initiated investigations into these high-profile cases.

Your comments: The principal of Occam's Razor states that, all things being equal, the most likely explanation tends to be the correct one.

So, which sounds more likely: The head of the KPK, a man at the top of his profession and under constant and intense public scrutiny, would risk everything by murdering a man over a love triangle with a caddy.

Or - the head of the KPK, a man who has made many corrupt and powerful enemies by leading a campaign of prosecution against them, is now being framed and discredited by some of these enemies so they can remove him and get back to "business as usual"?

The more likely and logical explanation is clearly the second one, especially given all the fishy aspects of the case against him that have already been reported.

I can't wait for the legal process to be completed, confident that Antasari Azhar's innocence will be formally proven. I hope any people framing Antasari Azhar will soon be brought to justice.

Andrew

It has been known that KPK is a tool for SBY to gain popularity.

The KPK is the only organization that is running properly right now - if you look at the other aspects of Indonesia such as the economy, job security, inter religious harmonization, SBY has failed on all of them.

It has also been known that many of the KPK's corruption cases are cases of put-the-blame-on-anyone-obvious.

The cases have not been acted on fairly, with many innocent officials being blamed before adequate evidence was gathered, in order to keep the public happy, the media something to write about and everyone something to talk about at the dining table.

David L.

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