Roundup - INDONESIA MARKS INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY by Fardah

   Jakarta, Dec 10, 2012 (ANTARA) - Joining other countries in marking the International Anti-Corruption Day which falls on December 9, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono led the Anti-Corruption Day 2012 celebrations at the State Palace here on Monday.

         The event was attended by, among others, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, Chairman of the Presidential Working Unit for Supervision and Management of Development (UKP4) Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, National Police Chief General Timur Pradopo, a number of ministers, governors from the country's 33 provinces, and Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission Abraham Samad.

        In his speech, President Yudhoyono warned the nation that corruption is rampant in this country and it is a serious problem that could hinder the country's development.

        He reiterated the government's commitment to eradicating corruption and called on the anti-graft agency KPK and other law enforcers to provide guidelines to explain what actions are categorized as corruption or not corruption.

       "State officials need guidelines that clearly define and explain what constitutes corruption and what does not," the head of state said.

       "Based on my observation of several corruption cases, there are two kinds of perpetrators - those who deliberately engage in acts of corruption, and those who do not realize that what they are doing is wrong," President Yudhoyono explained.

        "Providing clear guidelines are necessary to prevent officials from hesitating to spend the allocated budgets for development purposes," he said.

        The President noted that over the past few years he had to make decisions on certain matters that should have been ideally handled by ministers.  
  "Therefore, my conclusion is that there is also hesitation at the ministerial level," he said.

       The head of state pointed out that government officials hesitate to spend budgets allocated for development not only at the national level, but also at the regional level.

        "In many regions, economic growth is stagnating. It should not have happened. Corruption must be prevented and eradicated, but national development activities must continue without any hesitation," Yudhoyono said.

        In an effort to raise awareness among officials with regard to the categorization of corruption cases, the central government will invite all governors, mayors, district heads, budget planners and other related officials next month to participate in a meeting that will discuss what activities constitute  corruption, along with related regulations.

        "The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), Police, and KPK will explain what actions are considered as acts of corruption and what are not," the President stated.

          Meanwhile, KPK Chief Samad in his report during the event said that all Indonesians must make efforts to eradicate corruption and prevent it from happening in the future.

         "In this year's Corruption Perception Index, Indonesia has scored higher on integrity, but it's still vulnerable. Corruption remains in the nation's bureaucracy and public services," he pointed out.

          He said KPK is currently focusing on corruption prevention in Indonesia by running anti-corruption campaigns in cooperation with various institutions of the country.

         "Preventive measures could go a long way in reducing corruption and thereby losses to the state," he said at the State Palace.

          "I want to remind everyone again that corruption has become deep-rooted in the nation, and it is damaging the nation's economy, law enforcement, and social structure," Abraham stated.

         "Corruption prevention is extremely important and all stakeholders and institutions should act in anticipation of the problem," he said.

          As part of the preventive measures against corruption, the anti-graft agency has developed a National Integrity System (NIS), which is expected to help eradicate corruption in Indonesia.

         The National Integrity System is expected to become an "early warning system" against corruption in all institutions, particularly in government offices.

          The system covers the integrity of human resources, the quality of human resources, the integrity building process, and fraud control.

        The system has been incorporated in the KPK Working Plan 2011-2023 and will be implemented across the country in cooperation with all national stakeholders.

        "This system is aimed at preventing corruption in the ministries and government institutions at the earliest stage as possible," Abraham explained.

         During the 2004-12 period, KPK has handled 332 corruption cases involving legislators, law enforcers, ambassadors, and officials at the regional and national levels.

         The anti-graft agency has received a total of 55,964 tip-offs, mostly from Indonesians including those living overseas.

        "As a result, Rp152 trillion of state money was saved in the oil and gas upstream sector during the 2009-12 period. Also, Rp2 trillion was saved from rights transfer of state assets," Abraham pointed out.

        A day earlier, in a separate event commemorating the International Anti-Corruption Day on Sunday, the KPK chairman called on all Indonesians to unite in their fight against corruption.

          "We must unite to fight off this extraordinary crime," Samad said at the event, which was attended by government officials and public figures.

          He noted that corruption could not be eradicated without cooperation among all sections of the society.

         "This occasion should become the momentum to unitedly fight corruption, which is becoming a bigger and more dangerous problem by the day," he added.

        The KPK had a very important guest, namely the executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yuri Fedotov, at the function.

          Fedotov, who also spoke on the occasion, offered UNODC's support to Indonesia to fight transnational crime and corruption, particularly as they relate to environmental crime.

         "UNODC and our partners are ready to continue the excellent working relationship we have established with the KPK and we will continue to support the national efforts in corruption prevention and eradication," Fedotov stated.

          He stressed the importance of a national anti-corruption strategy and the work done by KPK and praised the country's efforts and the commitment of President Yudhoyono to independent anti-corruption agencies.

         "UNODC recognizes KPK's work in devising and implementing the National Strategy on Corruption Prevention and Eradication. We reaffirm UNODC's commitment to supporting KPK's strategic plan," he added.

         According to him, Indonesia is a critical regional hub and is consequently home to the largest single UNODC country program in the region.  The UNODC program in Indonesia provides support to anti-corruption efforts by the Supreme Court, KPK, the criminal justice system and law enforcement generally.  
   The International Anti-Corruption Day was also celebrated in several other Indonesian cities such as in Palu (Central Sulawesi),  Semarang and Purwokerto  (Central Java), Banjarmasin and Banjarbaru (South Kalimantan), Surabaya, Malang, Blitar and Jember (East Java), Dumai (Riau), Tasikmalaya (West Java), Serang (Banten), Bengkulu, Denpasar (Bali), and Bandarlampung (Lampung). ***1***
(f001/A/H-YH)