Indonesia's 'war' against the people

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/MJ27Ae02.html
PEAKING FREELY

Indonesia's 'war' against the people 
By Yasmi Adriansyah 

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you are interested in contributing. 

The recent threats from a number of lawmakers in the Indonesian House of Representative (DPR) calling for the dismissal of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) are definitely outrageous. If these threats are progressing, perhaps the country will see more political turmoil. It will be another more heated confrontation between the DPR and the people. 

Many Indonesians are aware how saddening the performance of the DPR has been in recent years. From corruption sagas to unclear purposes of foreign travels. From watching porno videos to poor legislating performance. It is almost every day that Indonesians are exposed to this supposed-to-be-dignified institution and its embarrassing images. 

Currently, some lawmakers, and perhaps silently echoed by the majority of the members of the DPR itself, have threatened to dismiss the KPK from Indonesia's political and legal spheres. In a situation where the people have attached high expectations to the KPK to eradicate rising corruption in the country, the threats are really out of place. 

To make it worse, these threats are voiced at the same time when the KPK is carrying out investigation into the four heads of the budgeting body of the DPR. Even people on the street can understand that there is an obvious motive behind the threats, which is to protect fellow lawmakers, or at least exert a deterrence on the KPK. 

The reasoning that the KPK needs to be evaluated because it has become a "super body" is baseless, if not to say ridiculous. 

Therefore, in order not to prolong a baseless debate, let us challenge the lawmakers, be they Fahri Hamzah of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Bambang Soesatyo of the Golkar Party and Marzuki Ali of the Demokrat Party to prove their findings and rationale. And prior to embarking on formal meetings with the KPK, please reveal them to the public and have a rigorous intellectual debate. 

There is no doubt that no political-legal bodies on earth are perfect, and the same with the KPK. Due to limited organizational size and arguably human resources capability, the KPK may still not function as expected. 

Nevertheless, Indonesians must have known that it is the KPK that still performs with its best in eradicating the deep-rooted corruption enigma in the country. With all due respect to the other judicial authorities, the KPK still holds this utmost expectation as the other authorities are often being part of the problems than solutions. 

Indonesians unquestionably cannot put all corruption problems under the sun on the KPK's shoulder. Corruption in Indonesia is just that massive. From trillions of rupiahs cases that involve high profile figures in the government or DPR to the petty scales on the roads. From making passports to reproducing ID Cards. It is thus almost impossible to expect the KPK to eradicate this massive corruption within only few year shots. 

On the other hand, what has been carried out by the KPK in eradicating corruption has so far been successful. Most if not all investigated cases have resulted in a guilty decision. These achievements show that the KPK is professional and accurate in its investigating endeavors. At the same time, these achievements can at least transform into deterring measures for other corrupt people. 

The pertinent question is, how about the performance of the DPR? It has a poor record in the area of legislation, misbehaving or visiting foreign countries without clear purposes. 

As for corruption, there are a number of high-profile cases that have been proven guilty. And the Budgeting Body of the DPR will most likely be another new finding, particularly given the sort of "defense" from some lawmakers. 

In conclusion, it is argued that the DPR should be reformed in a significant manner. The body itself is dignified and deserves respect within the country's political system. But the behavior of its lawmakers must be challenged with the strongest possible criticism. 

Otherwise, they will transform the body into a "super body" that fights for its own interests rather than for the people, of whom their concerns must be represented. 

Dismissing the KPK would be like waging a "war" against the civilized Indonesian people. And history shows that people always win against tyrannical acts. 

Yasmi Adriansyah is a PhD student at the School of Politics and International Relations, the Australian National University (ANU). 

(Copyright 2011 Yasmi Adriansyah.) 

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you are interested in contributing. Articles submitted for this section allow our readers to express their opinions and do not necessarily meet the same editorial standards of Asia Times Online's regular contributor