Washington DC – The eradication of acts of corruption in Indonesia continued to be the main topic on the agenda during the visit by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the USA.
On the third day of his visit, the President restated his commitment to eradicate acts of corruption acts during a forum held by the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington on Thursday morning (26/05) local time.
"Starting from today, the legal immunity enjoyed by Indonesian corruptors is already over," Yudhoyono said. "I invite all of you to come to Indonesia and witness for yourself the reform measures that we have already carried out," said the President.
US Chamber of Commerce President Thomas J. Donohue responded positively to the president's commitment. "Mr. President, I hope you will be able to stick on your commitment. We will come to Indonesia with our money," said Donohue as he closed the forum session..
According to Donohue, the President and US businessmen discussed three points regarding the business climate in Indonesia. These three are: equality in business opportunities, eradication of corruption practices and protection of intellectual property rights.
"I think we will soon see interesting business expansion and investment in this area. Mr. President (Yudhoyono, ed.) is a good salesman," joked Donohue.
That evening, during a meeting with 200 Indonesian citizens at the Indonesian Embassy complex in Tilden, the President once again revealed his commitment to eradicate acts of corruption. "The war against corruption shall be a priority of the government," Yudhoyono said, to the applause of those present.
The targets are existing corruption cases, big fish corruption cases and Indonesian corruptors running away overseas. "We will search until we find them," said the President.
Yudhoyono went on to explain that 16 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and five government ministries were being intensively investigated. "Out of these five ministries, it is almost certain that four are involved in acts of corruption."
The President also said he hoped that later (SOEs) could grow well. "We don't want them to be PT Rugi Abadi (Eternal Loss) or PT Sukar Maju (Difficult to Grow)," joked Yudhoyono.
The government has also handed over 19 case dossiers to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Around 45 officials are being questioned intensively. "They include governors and mayors as well as members of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD)," said Yudhoyono.
When asked about the United Nations Anti-corruption Convention that is yet to be ratified by Indonesia, the President said that the government fully supports this convention. "Now, the decision is in the hand of DPR Commission I. I am convinced that the DPR will take measures to immediately ratify the Convention," stated Yudhoyono. (Karaniya Dharmasaputra, Washington)