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strong>March 4, p2

Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama has acknowledged that several of his subordinates in the Jakarta administration have long been involved in the misuse of the city budget.

Speaking to reporters at City Hall in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, Ahok said he knew city councilors were not the only perpetrators behind irregularities in the city budget.

Agency heads and staffers within the city administration, he said, also took part.

Your comments:

Well spotted Pak Ahok, I know these practices have been conducted over and over in procurements in government offices.

I know for sure that these procurements have been the source of cash to certain elites in the government office, the price mark up is the strategy.

Yamin Ode Mukmin

Am I surprised? The City Council is like a department store where everyone helps themselves. Finally there is a governor who has the guts to stand up for what is right or wrong.  

How long will Ahok stay alive? Some will not like his clean-up attempts and get him out of their way.

Mike ID

With the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) literally on their knees licking the boots of the police, it is refreshing to see one individual (sad that there is only one person in the government that fights for a semblance in getting more control over corruption).  

The amount of corruption that allows city councilors to afford lavish lifestyles has gone on far too long and has become insane.  

But seeing Ahok fight corruption is refreshing even if those that have the same idealism of combating rampant corruption are being taken down left and right by the established monsters.

Deddy K

If Ahok is president, he would commute all the sentences for the expats and drugs couriers, but start campaigning for death penalties for big time corruptors.

Dinero

I have always mistrusted most of the authorities! They have used '€œtaxpayers'€ money for their wealthy life. I sincerely hope they get punished!

Herozip

Alive or dead, he is a true contemporary hero of Indonesia. He wants to dedicate his life to others or for life'€™s simple principles that are now so rare and diseased in this land, such as integrity.

May there will be hundreds and thousands more of his kind.

James Waworoendeng

Perhaps one under-explored but significant theme in this brouhaha is that our electoral system forces city councilors to show their constituents that they are influential and there is a tangible benefit in electing them to office, hence the pork-barrel projects.

This sort of stuff happened in the Philippines where congressmen and senators used to be allocated funds to spend on their constituents that they can directly claim as their brainchild.

Ngukzilla