Eradicating corruption? Forgive corrupters, House speaker says.

Jakarta Post | July 30, 2011 | Copyright

from THE JAKARTA POST -- SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2011 -- PAGE 2 As his party struggles to cope with a wave of graft allegations, House speaker and Democratic Party politician Marzuki Alie suggested that the country pardon corrupters as a means of eradicating corruption. The ever-controversial politician said that it was one of the potential solutions to ending corruption in Indonesia, besides enacting a law on a reverse burden of proof mechanism. "We forgive all [corruptors]. We ask them to bring their money from abroad, but we tax it," he said, adding that he felt the country had wasted too much time to settle past corruption cases. "We are tired of dealing with the past [corruption cases]." The other solution, according to Marzuki, is to require all transactions valued over Rp 1 million (US$117) be done via banking rather than cash. "There should be no more cash purchases of land, motorcycles or cars -- all should be through banks," he said. His call comes as criticism mounted against the Democratic Party for failing to clear allegations on graft cases made by its former treasurer and fugitive graft suspect Muhammad Nazaruddin. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party has been at the center of debate over the previous two months after Nazaruddin accused a number of politicians from the party of also being involved in cases tainted by graft. Nazaruddin accused Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum of amassing illegal money from several projects funded by the state budget, some of which reportedly may have contributed to his winning bid for the party's chairmanship in 2010. Nazaruddin continues to spread his allegations, saying he had colluded with Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy for enforcement Insp. Gen Ade Rahardja to discuss the graft cases linked to Democratic Party politicians Bandung Mayor Dada Rosada and Kutai Timur Regent Isran Noor. During some of his meetings with the KPK, Nazaruddin admitted he was accompanied by Democratic Party lawmakers, including Saan Mustopa and Benny Kabur Harman. Marzuki also suggested on Friday that the KPK be disbanded if there were no credible candidates to lead the KPK as an hoc body to wipe out corruption in the country.

"The KPK is an ad hoc body. If we no longer trust it, why do we have it? It has yet to bring change. It tends to carry out political maneuvering rather than eradicate corruption," he said as quoted by kompas.com. Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Post