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Nepotism Still A Major Threat In Indonesia
KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The Indonesian Parliament should fight corruption, collusion and nepotism, which still pose a major threat against the Indonesian nation, experts in the field said Thursday.
Saying these three issues could lead to the destruction of Indonesia as a nation and further deteriorate public conditions, they called on the legislature in Jakarta to provide guidance on how to eliminate these "plagues".
Indonesia is rated one of the most corrupt nations on earth, with nepotism still a growing threat. The government of Abdurrahman Wahid has been singled out for its lack of coordination in eliminating these ills.
The immigration, customs, civil service and even police force, have been cited as the most affected by corrupt practices. The reason given by experts advising Parliament on these issues is that salaries of officers of the government are unreasonably low.
These sectors are also affected by nepotism and collusion making it difficult for the general public to be treated fairly, members of the Preparation Team For The Fight Against Corruption said.
Deputy Chairman of the House's Commission II, Hamdan Zoelva, admitted that Parliament should extend its guidance to the executive. He said this should be the case no matter who is leading the nation.
He suggested that ideas on how to combat these social ills and the red tape that has engulfed Wahid's administration could be brought up at the annual session of the Parliament in September.
Combating collusion, corruption and nepotism is still a sluggish, infirm situation that lacks transparency. This gives rise to ill content and distrust directed towards law enforcement officers, who themselves are forced into such practices.
Zoelva said the president, for example, should be given the task to seriously apply the Parliamentary Ruling of a Clean State, "Free from collusion, Corruption and Nepotism".
Research by International Transparency indicates that the index on corruption in Indonesia has hardly moved towards improvement. The change of power from Suharto to B.J. Habibie, and later to Wahid, has not eliminated corrupt practices and nepotism.
Several observers said Parliament should find it easy to topple a president suspected of tolerating corrupt practices, adding that the parliament itself had witnessed 32 years of such practices under Suharto.
They say that "reform" governments, and the parliament under Wahid, did little in the right direction, and have called for the establishment of an Anti-Corruption Agency. The aim of this agency would be to scrutinize those who "looted" public money during the past 35 years.
One observer made it clear that a social revolution against the ruling class was in the waiting. "The people are fed up with the still on going looting of public money. For how long can they watch this?" he said.
"All this will lead the nation to stand on a heap of debris and the toppling of the republican framework in these days of a weaker administration," he added.
Nepotism, the act of placing cronies and friends in power regardless of their abilities, track records, or intelligence of the respective persons, poses a threat to the country according to members of the Preparation Team. If their assets and abilities are in line with the terms of office, people will not be too worried about nepotism.
In Indonesia, nepotism is defined as an act against the law by state officials who set the interests of families or cronies above that of the public, the nation and the state.
additional reporting by Kazi Mahmood
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