SBY vows to continue bureaucratic reforms

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has pledged to continue bureaucratic reforms despite the absence of reform-minded Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Yudhoyono said the ongoing bureaucratic reforms would be accelerated now that Indonesia was pushing for higher economic growth.

“Programs conducted by our administration should be accurate, precise and in line with optimum principles,” he said, adding that Indonesia would adopt more decentralized fiscal distribution in coming years and that state expenditure would reach Rp 1,500 trillion (US$166 billion).

Yudhoyono said there were still many corruption cases as a result of poor bureaucracy.

“During the more than five years of my tenure there have been more than 150 officials investigated for graft. This is not an achievement. We’re concerned about this,” he said.

Corruption has prevented business and public services from running optimally, Yudhoyono said.

Poor bureaucracy was among factors that had slowed economic growth in Indonesia, analysts said.
The economy grew by 4.5 percent last year, and is expected to expand 5.8 percent this year.