The above adagium was coined over 120 years ago by the British historian and moralist, John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton (1834-1902), who was otherwise known only as Lord Acton, expressed his opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887.
Without referring to this particular adagium, Busyro Muqoddas, chief of Indonesia`s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), hinted that Indonesia may enter a period in what Lord Acton envisaged to be the eventuality of absolute corruption.
The all-powerful House of Representatives (DPR) flexed its law-making muscles in a meeting with the KPK last Monday when law-makers of DPR`s Commission III lashed out at Muqoddas and his rank during a hearing on Monday. The issue on the revision draft of the law on KPK was in agenda.
At one point during the hearing, law-makers asked Muqoddas to shut up and carry out the articles of the law when he said that the current anti-graft law is okay and does not need any revision.
"Corruption is a crime against humanity because it impoverishes people," said Muqqodas in a television talk-show, Wednesday (May 25), in which he revealed his angst over possible institutionalized justification for corruption as the DPR is mulling revision of the anti-graft law.
Some observers and non-governmental organizations, including the high-profile Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), have opposition to the plan for amending the anti-graft law, saying it is nothing but an institutionalized step to weaken the KPK.
ICW earlier said that it had discovered at least none contentious articles in the proposed revision to the anti-graft law, including the absence of the specification of the KPK authority.
The first endeavor on weakening the KPK might have taken place in 2009 with the indictment of its previous chair, Antasari Azhar, on murder charges that he had vehemently rebutted.
During the TV talk-show, Muqoddas was explaining the possibility that the current joint effort by the DPR and government to amend the anti-graft law would lead to giving justifying protection for unlawful acts by people involved in corruption charges.
"Unlawful acts may become legal deeds according to (the revised) anti-graft law," said apprehensive Muqoddas, adding that the greatest corruption of all is not directly link to fund misappropriation or the like but the one giving legal protection to such acts through legislation or regulations.
Moqoddas added that those in power in this country now must however consider the power of the people because the public in the ever democratizing Indonesia is not ignorant of the fact that its interest in this case is at stake now. "The people aren`t stupid these days," he said.
According to him, graft and corruption in Indonesia have not been deterred by the many arrests of those involved in graft and state fund embezzlement in recent years. Corruption even became rampant and widespread.
Indonesia scored 2.8 out of 10 on Transparency International`s latest Corruption Perception Index. The survey ranked Indonesia 110th out of 178 countries in 2010.
The DPR itself has in fact seen bu many of its members implicated in graft charges by the KPK, including the current controversy involving some law-makers of the highly placed members of the ruling Demokratic Party, Mohammad Nazaruddin and Angelina Sondakh.
The KPK has hinted the two law-makers` involvement in the construction of athletes village for the SEA Games 2011 in Palembang.
Public trust
Despite the barrage of attacks against it, the KPK remains to have public support, according to Coalition of Observers for Justice (Koalisi Pemantau Peradilan/KPP), a body representing the voice of non-government organizations whose members include refutable organizations and bodies.
KPP consists among others of the Indonesian Legal Roundtable (ILR), the National Consortium for National Law Reform (KRHN), ICW, Indonesia University`s the Society`s Watch for Justice, Indonesian Society for Transparency (MTI) and Transparency International (TI) Indonesia.
KPP last Monday, the day when Moqoddas and his ranks met the DPR, issued a joint statement where it said that the KPP is an independent state institution eradicating crimes of corruption.
"The KPK is at least still trusted by the public compared to other institutions with similar duties," the KPP said.
The KPP issued the joint statement to remind the government not to neglect the preparations of an independent panel for selecting the next KPK chief when Muqoddas`s one-year term expires on December 19, 2011.
Moqoddas was selected last year to fill the vacancy after Azhar had been convicted.
In tandem, however, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also said that he is on the forefront in the war against graft in the country. He has issued countless instructions, regulations and decrees on efforts to deter people from enriching themselves with public funds.
On May 12, 2011, President Yudhoyono again issued a presidential instruction on corruption prevention and eradication, especially aimed at certain ministries and other state institutions. This is the third such instruction the president had made this year alone.
The new presidential instruction ordering all state elements - especially the National Police, the Attorney General`s Office, the Law and Human Rights Ministry, the Finance Ministry, and the presidential Judicial Mafia Taskforce - to speed up investigations into corruption and intensify measures to prevent corruption practices.
The latest instruction contains 102 action plans addressing six areas: prevention, enforcement, harmonizing law and regulations, recovery of assets from corruption, international cooperation and coordination mechanisms.
In January, Yudhoyono signed a presidential instruction focusing on accelerating investigations of tax fraud cases and corruption at the tax offices.
It was issued in the wake of a highly publicized tax graft case centering on former tax official Gayus H. Tambunan, which implicated law enforcement officials, a judge and senior tax officials.
(KR-VFT/O001)
Reporter: Vicki Febrianto
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
