TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Editorial: Who’s next after Andi?

We finally have a reason to celebrate International Anticorruption Day on Sunday after a lackluster move to crack down on corrupt practices, which just recently have been found to be rampant in the executive, legislature and judiciary

The Jakarta Post
Sat, December 8, 2012

Share This Article

Change Size

Editorial: Who’s next after Andi?

W

e finally have a reason to celebrate International Anticorruption Day on Sunday after a lackluster move to crack down on corrupt practices, which just recently have been found to be rampant in the executive, legislature and judiciary.

After months of speculation, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officially named on Thursday Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng a suspect in connection with the alleged misappropriation of state funds in the construction of the Rp 1.17 trillion (US$121.96 million) Hambalang sports complex in Bogor, West Java.

His new status as a graft suspect left Andi with no other choice but to resign on Friday, in accordance with the integrity pact he signed prior to assuming his Cabinet post. Previously, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had several times reminded his Cabinet ministers to resign as soon as they were named suspects so as to allow them to focus on the legal process and avoid disrupting the government’s delivery of services.

Andi announced his resignation after meeting with the President, who immediately accepted his minister’s departure. Andi is the first Cabinet minister to have quit his post over graft suspicions and his move will set a precedent for other government or state officials in the current administration and beyond.

Seizing the momentum of Andi’s exit, Indonesia needs new standards of integrity that would necessitate public officials at central or regional levels to leave their posts when undergoing criminal investigation. There have been cases of governors and regents who clung to power despite being named suspects. Even when they were detained, they tried to run their administrations from behind bars.

Given the KPK’s track record, it is most unlikely that Andi will avoid prison. Not only is the KPK prohibited from halting investigations but also it always collects solid evidence before a case comes to court.

Nevertheless, it was a bold decision by KPK leaders, requiring not only nerves of steel but also readiness to anticipate a possible backlash, given Andi’s position in the inner circle of the country’s center of power. His capacity as a minister, and particularly as a member of the Democratic Party board of patrons under President Yudhoyono, could have warranted Andi some sort of immunity commonly enjoyed by political elites elsewhere in the world.

A few years ago, the KPK under the leadership of Antasari Azhar took a brave measure when it named Aulia Pohan a graft suspect, defying the fact that the former Bank Indonesia deputy governor was the father-in-law of President Yudhoyono’s eldest son. But, later on Antasari lost his KPK post and was sentenced to 18 years in jail for murder, while two KPK commissioners endured a lengthy legal standoff after the police charged them with extortion.

We do not expect the current KPK leaders to pay such a high price for their courage in declaring Andi a suspect — and in the process banning him from overseas travel for six months — as such a decision demonstrates the nation’s commitment to the basic principle of equality before the law, which is stipulated in the Constitution but is more often than not ignored or even resented.

The KPK, despite its renewed conflict with the police, has now reached a point of no return after ensnaring Andi. For the sake of justice, it can and must not stop with the outgoing minister.

{

Your Opinion Counts

Your thoughts matter - share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.