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Introduction Fighting Corruption From Aceh To Papua 10 Stories on Corruption Eradication in Indonesia i Fighting Corruption: From Aceh To Papua Fighting Corruption: From Aceh to Papua 10 Stories on Combating Corruption in Indonesia Copyright © Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia First Edition issued By the Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia, April 2006 Jl. MH Thamrin Kav.9 Jakarta 10350, Indonesia Telp. [61 21] 3902566, 3902626 Fax [62 21] 2302933, 2303924 www.kemitraan.or.id Editor of English version: Sofie Arjon Schuette Editor of Indonesian version: Dadang Trisasongko, Veven Sp. Wardhana, Sofie Arjon Schuette Assistant Editor: Inda Loekman Translation: James Boyd Illustration & cover design: Muhammad Syaifuddin (Ifoed) Printing Company: PT Penebar Swadaya ISBN: 979-99791-7-X ii Introduction Table of Contents 1. Foreword (H.S. Dillon, Executive Director, Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia) ............................... v 2. Introduction (Bambang Widjojanto, 3artnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia) ....................................... vii 3. Uncovering Corruption in Aceh (ANhiruddin 0ahMuddin,GeRA.) ........................................ 2 4. Anticorruption Snowball in South Sulawesi (Elyas Joseph, LBHP2i) .......................................................... 36 5. Something Rotten in the KPU (Arif Nur Alam, Fitra) ............................................................ 68 6. Interfaith Coalition Against Corruption (Isnaini Muallidin, LP3 UMY) ............................................. 100 7. When the Kiai Help Control Local Budgeting (A.S. Burhan, P3M) ..................................................................... 118 8. When the People’s Representatives Loot the Public Purse (Saldi Isra, FPSB) ........................................... 134 9. Tracking the Spending of Tax Revenues (Heni Yulianto, TI Indonesia) .............................................. iii Fighting Corruption: From Aceh To Papua iv Introduction Foreword he Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia is a cooperative arrangement between the Indonesian govern Tment, civil society organizations, the private sector and the international donor community, with the aim of facilitating and supporting governance reform in Indonesia. It is becom- ing increasingly accepted that governance systems cannot be changed by practices imposed from outside. National ownership is the key to change. The Partnership therefore brings together those elements in Indonesian government and society who are committed to governance reform and encourages dialogue and networking amongst them. It supports their efforts by develop- ing ideas, strategies and programs of action, especially those that can be assisted by the international community. During its first two years, the 3artnership for Governance Reform produced in-depth diagnostic work on the problem of corruption in Indonesia. Based on this research and a comprehensive public con- sultation process undertaken to develop a national action plan to fight corruption, the 3artnership started to implement the strategy and suggestions in 2003. The Partnership has launched a number of initiatives on its own, but has also supported se- lected partners in the implementation of projects that fit within the Partnership’s strategy. To date, the Partnership has supported and been party to a number of efforts and achievements that deserve to be made public beyond the short-lived coverage normally provided by the print and electronic media. They need to be reported in more detail as they demonstrate unique and inventive approaches to tackling corruption. The purpose of this publication, “Fighting Corruption from Aceh to Papua”, is to encourage discussion and replication in Indonesia and other parts of the world. v Fighting Corruption: From Aceh To Papua All 10 stories and the introduction were written in Indonesian and the Partnership would like to express its gratitude to James Boyd, who managed to successfully transfer the meaning and spirit of the original texts into English. We would also like to express our thanks to Muhammad Syaifuddin (Ifoed), who has captured the essence of these reports in a thought-provoking yet entertaining manner. The findings, interpretations and conclusions are those of the authors of each report and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Partnership. Neither the Partnership, the members of the Governing Board, the organizations or governments they represent, nor their affiliated organizations, may be held respon- sible for the accuracy of the facts and data contained in this publication, or any consequences of whatever nature resulting from their use. H.S. Dillon Executive Director Jakarta, December 2005 vi Introduction Consolidating the Anticorruption Movement Introduction by Bambang Widjojanto1 hen we mention the word “corruption”, an interesting phenomenon worthy of study frequently becomes ap Wparent. “Corruption” has become a word in our vo- cabulary that is on everyone’s lips at the moment. The media is chock-a-block full of reports on corruption. It is a main topic of conversation among all groups in society, including those who are truly against corruption and those who pay lip service to the struggle but who, in fact, regularly engage in various forms of graft in their day-to-day activities. In short, “corruption” is the talk of the town and is a hot topic in all sorts of forums and discourses. Just look at the many groups involved in the anticorruption movement at the present time, the plethora of books analyzing corruption from various perspectives, and the large number of discussions, seminars and TV talk shows devoted to the prob- lem. In addition, the number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in the fight against graft has mushroomed. Meanwhile a significant number of corruption cases are cur- rently being investigated or tried, although many more have still to be dealt with. Despite the progress made to date, there are many signs and indications that corruption is still widespread throughout Indonesia. In fact, it is quite clear that corruption is systematic and part of the power structure and social fabric in this country. While for some, all the talk about eradicating corruption may be little more than political jargon, serious efforts are nevertheless being made to bring about good governance through wide-rang- 1 Bambang Widjojanto is an advisor to the 3artnership. vii Fighting Corruption: From Aceh To Papua ing governance reform. Nevertheless, it is disappointing to see that despite an increased awareness about the need to root out corruption, there are signs that the problem is actually increasing. This gives rise to two con- trasting consequences. First, the emergence of a fatalistic attitude to the effect that corruption is well-nigh impossible to eradicate. This has resulted in a high level of permissiveness towards the problem, which, in turn, has the potential to encourage people to also try their hands at graft. Second, the undertaking of various pioneering efforts to consolidate the anticorruption movement in society through the development of corruption free zones. This encourages many people to become involved in the anticorruption movement, even if they are not aEle to contriEute significantly. The fact is, corruption must be systematically fought against and overcome using creative and intelligent approaches. The various writings contained in this book are devoted to the struggle against corruption in Indonesia. The focus has firmly been placed on the concrete efforts that have been made by various civil society groups to reduce the room for corruption in Indonesian society, while at the same time encouraging the development of the anticorruption movement at the grassroots level. While only 10 case studies are presented here on account of space limitations, there are a great many others that could just as well have been used to provide inspiration for those strug- gling against graft, and that are capable of replication so as to encourage the taking root of the movement at the grassroots level. The following general topics are dealt with in the writings contained in this book: First, local anticorruption efforts (“Uncovering Corruption in Aceh” and “Anticorruption Snowball in South Sulawesi”). Second, who is involved in the struggle against corruption (“When the Kiai help Control Local Budgeting”, “Interfaith Coalition against Corruption”, and “When the People’s Repre- sentatives loot the Public Purse”). Third, the institutions that are particularly prone to corrup- tion (the writings discussing corruption in the General Elections viii Introduction Commission and local budgeting). Fourth, strategies for fighting against corruption (“Mobiliz- ing the People of Papua to Fight Corruption”, “Eradicating Corruption: From Acceptance to Resistance”, and “Tracking the Spending of Tax Revenues”). Fifth, developing professional and honest anticorruption institutions (“Establishment of the Corruption Eradication Commission”). With regard to the three writings discussing lessons learned in the effort to eradicate corruption in Aceh, Papua, and South Sulawesi, it is worth noting that two of these areas (Aceh and Papua) possess special characteristics with the result that they have been accorded what is termed “special autonomy” to manage their own affairs. Ironically, this has become one of the principal causes of increased corruption in these regions. Aceh was accorded special autonomy status by Law Number