Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must replace attorney general Hendarman Supandji as he has failed to cleanse his office or raise the quality of prosecutors during his leadership, activists and lawmakers said.
Anti-graft activists and lawmakers agreed that not only had Hendarman failed to reform the Attorney General's Office (AGO), he had made it worse in the last five years, with many prosecutors being involved in corruption and the public losing their trust in the institution.
"One obvious example is the internal reform program that aimed to improve the quality of prosecutors, which has failed miserably. Hendarman has simply failed to lead his office in reforming itself," coordinator of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) Danang Widoyoko told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
The AGO's internal reform program, which was launched at the beginning of Hendarman's tenure as attorney general, was aimed at cleaning its graft-tainted office and raising the capability of prosecutors in handling cases in court.
The reform also aimed to raise the salary and internal monitoring function. Many activists said that they had failed to see the fruit of the so-called internal reform program.
During Hendarman's tenure, a number of prosecutors were convicted of receiving bribes, and others were alleged to have deliberately freed draft suspects.
Danang said that the AGO under Hendarman had never made the necessary breakthroughs in tackling graft cases. He added the situation was much better under Hendarman's predecessor Abdurrahman Saleh.
He said so far the AGO had been unable to compete with the newly established Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in tackling graft cases, pointing to the fact that the AGO recovered much less state assets than the KPK did.
Early this year, the AGO had announced that it had been able to recoup Rp 8 trillion of the state's stolen assets in 2008. However, many civil society groups challenged the validity of the data, with ICW saying that the AGO had only been able to recover Rp 382 billion that year.
Meanwhile, KPK said in the same year it had managed to collect and then return almost Rp 5 trillion to the state account.
"So by looking Hendarman's track record, it is obvious that we are in great need of a new figure who could lead the AGO with clearer objectives and firmer actions," Danang said.
When asked who was considered as the best person to hold the attorney general's post at the upcoming administration, Danang named noted lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, Bambang Widjojanto and Judicial Commission Chief Busyro Muqoddas as candidates.
"These people are known for their integrity and bravery. These two qualities are exactly what the AGO needs to be able to perform better in the future," he said.
However, Eva Kusuma Sundari, legislator for the Law Commission of the House of Representatives, said integrity and bravery were not enough. She added that the upcoming attorney general's main challenge was to develop communication between the politicians and administrations.
Instead, she suggested Marzuki Darusman, a former attorney general. She said Marzuki had built strong political communication through the Golkar Party without compromising his integrity.