Political wrangling hurts Indonesia’s image

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 saw the anti-corruption commission KPK questioning central bank (BI) Governor Burhannudin Abdullah over allegations he was involved in misappropriating Rp 100 billion in bank funds to bribe members of the House of Representatives (DPR) in 2004 and to pay lawyers’ fee to defend central bank officials implicated in the 1998 liquidity funds scandal (BLBI). The Central Bank Governor meanwhile denied the accusations. During the opening of the Syariah Festival in Jakarta a while ago, Burhanuddin and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took center stage in promoting Syariah banking in Indonesia. Both seemed to get along well and the president praised Burhanuddin for the work he has done and asked him to continue with his program. Most were convinced that Burhanuddin would assume a second term. But then, in just a few months after the two met, the BI Governor was implicated in the scandal. Most people believe the case was politically motivated, given that it emerged just in time before the DPR is set to appoint a new central bank governor. The president proposed two names, Agus Martowardoyo and Raden Pardede as candidates for new BI Governor. But the two candidates were immediately rejected by opposition factions at DPR. Effendi Choirie of Gus Dur’s PKB faction suspected that Agus Martowardoyo had been a Titiek Soeharto (daughter of former president Soeharto) confidante while a member of House Commission XI admitted he had been offered Rp 500 million in bribes to iron the way for the candidates to pass fit and proper test. If true, such political wrangling between the executive and the legislative branches would only open new opportunities for corruption and sink the image of Indonesia deeper into the abyss.