Y

outh and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng should be dismissed from the Cabinet and Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo should at least resign after an investigative audit revealed to the public on Wednesday clearly pointed out their involvement and found them guilty of omission — albeit with different level of offense — in the scandal surrounding the construction of the Hambalang sports center in Bogor, West Java.

The two ministers have reiterated their innocence, although it is much more difficult for Andi to convince the public — his ministry was directly involved in the project — than it is for Agus, whose involvement is a matter of technical procedure.

Again the inability or reluctance of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to take firm action against those behind the Hambalang case is a cause for concern. Knowing his track record, it is unlikely that the public will expect decisiveness from the President, especially because this time around some of the President’s men, including Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum, are implicated in the corruption case.

That is the conclusion of several national media organizations that reported the results of the Supreme Audit Agency’s (BPK) investigative audit of the Hambalang project. BPK chairman Hadi Poernomo officially presented the report to the House of Representatives’ deputy speaker Priyo Budi Santoso on Wednesday.

The two leaders beamed when showing the report book to the media at the House. Their smile might reflect great satisfaction, because the agency’s findings would pave the way for prosecution and trial of all the people held responsible for the state coffer robbery.

We hope that Hadi, a former tax director general, and Priyo, a senior Golkar politician, flashed genuine smiles. Hadi was replaced as the director general of taxation in 2005 when the reform-minded Sri Mulyani Indrawati led the Finance Ministry, but Hadi later denied he had a grudge with her. For the Golkar Party, meanwhile, the Hambalang case will give the party an advantage ahead of the 2014 elections as the case implicates top figures of the ruling Democratic Party.

Only last month, Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam released a list of the most corrupt political parties , in which Golkar headed the roster — only to spark anger from party leaders.

The Hambalang scandal is so blatant that it is almost impossible for our law enforcers to find an excuse not to bring to justice all the perpetrators and those held accountable for the corruption.

Therefore the BPK’s findings should enable the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to speed up its investigation into the fraud, which was disclosed by former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin following his implication in another graft case. The KPK has moved slowly in the Hambalang case, in particular because of the involvement of top politicians, bureaucrats and Cabinet ministers.

People have lost patience with this snail-paced investigation and the BPK’s move will provide the corruption busters with another golden opportunity to regain public trust.

And what about President Yudhoyono? Perhaps he is just expecting the two ministers to step down voluntarily because he will never find enough courage to demonstrate the leadership the nation so desperately seeks.

As the powerful Democratic Party chief patron, Yudhoyono once asked party members implicated in corruption cases to call it quits. So far, only Hartati Murdaya, who is on trial for a allegedly bribing Buol regent Amran Batalipu in exchange for business permits for her plantation companies, has complied with the request. The public is anxious to know who will follow suit.