President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono lent support to the anticorruption drive Saturday when he visited an activist hospitalized after being attacked by unknown assailants.
Intensive care: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (second left) visits Tama S. Langkun, an Indonesia Corruption Watch activist, at Asih Hospital in Warung Buncit, South Jakarta, on Saturday. Courtesy of the Presidential Office/Abror Rizki
The President told Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) activist Tama S. Langkun, who led an investigation into the bank accounts of senior police officers, to never succumb to intimidation.
“I strongly encourage you to keep going despite this setback,” Yudhoyono said. “The struggle must go on.”
While impressed by Yudhoyono’s move, activists have stuck to their demand for an independent probe into the unusually large bank accounts of senior police officers that anticorruption activists such as Tama have been seeking.
Tama was attacked at 4:15 a.m. Thursday on Jl. Duren Tiga, South Jakarta. The incident followed just two days after unknown assailants lobbed Molotov cocktails at the office of Tempo news magazine in Central Jakarta.
Tama had reported the suspiciously large bank accounts of high-ranking police officers to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The police have ignored growing calls that the bank accounts be investigated by an independent team.
The attack came only a day after Yudhoyono ordered National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri to probe the accounts.
“I want to make sure that whoever carried out this [attack] for whatever motive is punished,” he said.
Yudhoyono, who was widely criticized for allowing the police to conduct an internal investigation into the officers’ questionable wealth, received praise for visiting Tama.
The President’s legal adviser, Denny Indrayana, said the visit was meant to give a strong message.
“The message is that the government will not bow to the will of corrupters,” he said.
ICW’s Emerson Yuntho said the visit showed the President’s full support for the graft eradication campaign.
“We applaud the visit, but let’s not forget the main issue here is that the investigation into the officers’ accounts should be done by an independent team,” he said.
Emerson criticized the President’s support for an internal investigation into the officers’ accounts. He argued that the police had failed to resolve the issue since it was first raised in 2005.
In 2005, a report by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) was leaked to the public, containing reports of suspicious personal bank accounts owned by certain high-ranking police officials. The police did not follow up on the report.
University of Indonesia political observer Arbi Sanit said the President’s visit should be seen as government support for the activists and a warning that police must carry out the investigations into Tama’s assault and the bank accounts.
“There should be no doubt about the President’s support for this issue. All stakeholders should have the courage to follow his lead,” he said.
Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD, who also visited Tama on Saturday, said: “We have evidence and the identity of everyone involved in this whole affair. I don’t see any reason the police shouldn’t unravel [the issue of questionable bank accounts].”
South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Gatot Edy Pramono, who also visited Tama, said the case was still under investigation.
The investigation is being run by the Jakarta Police and South Jakarta Police while the bank account probe is being carried out by an “internal team” led by National Police chief detective Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi.
