SP/Novianti Setuningsih – The deputy chairman of the national antigraft commission thinks President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should reshuffle his cabinet and replace all the ministers from political parties, claiming that many of them often turned out to be corrupt.

"While there's still one-and-a-half years [before the next election], it's better for the president to consider that it's time to replace some ministers from political parties," said Busyro Muqqodas, deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission, on Wednesday. "Ministers from political parties tend to be corrupt."

Busyro's suggestions come after several ministers from Yudhoyono's cabinet were allegedly involved in two recent graft scandals – the Hambalang sports center project and one on the beef imports quota.

The former Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Andi Mallarangeng, from the Democratic Party, was named a suspect in the Hambalang case and the Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo was questioned by the KPK as a witness on the case on Tuesday, over allegations of bid-rigging and funding irregularities.

Busyro added that there had been irregularities related to Indonesia's beef import quota even before Agriculture Minister Suswono, from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), led the ministry. The KPK deputy chairman said the commission had concluded that the previous minister Anton Apriyantono, also from the PKS party, and Suswono had intentionally ignored the graft.

Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, the former PKS chairman, resigned from the conservative party in January after KPK investigators caught the lawmaker's personal staffer accepting a black suitcase stuffed with Rp 1 billion in bribes from meat importer Indoguna Utama executives.

"The irregularity did not happen during the leadership of the current agriculture minister, but since the previous minister," Busyro said. "So there's indication of negligence. If it has happened for five years, it [the negligence] happened by design."

Busyro said that a commission investigation revealed that the Agriculture Ministry may have purposely ignored the fact that Indonesia has 6.2 million livestock farmers who can sufficiently meet the demand for beef in the country.

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskander, from the National Awakening Party (PKB), came under public scrutiny last year when two of his senior officials were convicted of taking Rp 1.5 billion in bribes in the awarding of a development contract. The briber, Dharnawati, had repeatedly claimed that the money was ultimately meant for the minister.

Another public official, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, from the United Development Party (PPP), was interrogated by the KPK last year over a Koran procurement graft case.