Farouk Arnaz, Semarang – A senior police official on Monday said there was a need for more cooperation among law enforcement agencies to bolster the fight against corruption.

Comr. Gen. Nanan Soekarna, deputy chief at the National Police, said cooperation needed to be boosted to curb what he termed a "counterattack by corruptors." Nanan told a workshop at the Jakarta Center for Law Enforcement in the Central Javanese capital: "We have to be more serious and work together."

He conceded that institutional egos sometimes stood in the way of cooperation and prevented the various law enforcement agencies from working together on corruption cases. "This cannot be tolerated anymore. We have to think about the future of this country," he said. "We want to improve and get Indonesia off the list of most corrupt countries."

Officials from the National Police, Attorney General's Office, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), tax office and Supreme Audit Board (BPK) all attended the workshop. Also represented were the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) and State Finance and Development Comptroller (BPKP).

Nanan said a presidential decree addressing the fight against corruption would soon be issued to outline the steps to eradicate graft over the 2011-2014 period. Moreover, he said, the police were determined to root out corruption in their own ranks. "We have the political will to combat rogue police officers," he said.

Meanwhile, the KPK's chairman, Busyro Muqoddas, told the workshop that corruption remained firmly entrenched in the country because it had many backers. "Especially law enforcers, case brokers, middlemen and intellectuals who are prostituting themselves to help corruptors escape justice," he said. He said the case of disgraced former tax official Gayus Tambunan was the perfect example.

Busyro said corruption in politics was even exerting an influence on legislation and public policy. "Like, for example, the new anticorruption bill, in which anything under Rp 25 million ($3,000) is not considered as corruption," he said.

Busyro said cooperation was also needed with other stakeholders. "To create a society that is civilized, honest, based on meritocracy, professionalism and egalitarianism takes time, of course, but we must start with ourselves," he said.