We must not allow parasites to take control of our nation Kornelius Purba  ;   Senior managing editor at The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA POST,  04 Mei 2014

                                                

                                                                                         

                                                      

Riau Governor Annas Maamun recently became outraged when journalists asked about his ridiculous nepotistic practices. What usually happens is government officials or politicians provide business facilities or access for members of their family or relatives but the governor has gone further by employing his children, in-laws and other relatives as staff members in his office. The former Rokan Hilir regent insisted he did nothing wrong when he promoted his son-in-law Dwi Agus Sumarno to be head of Riau’s Education Agency. He appointed his daughters Fitriana and Windu Desrina to other lucrative positions. Meanwhile his 27-year-old son Noor Charis Putra got a new position at the lucrative Public Works Agency. Technically, perhaps there is nothing wrong with the governor’s acts. But in my view such a practice should be completely prohibited. The governor has accumulated power and influence by promoting his own children and relatives. Annas is close to creating a mini kingdom in the province. He is smart in finding legal loopholes but again this is totally unacceptable. I believe we must put a stop to such dirty practices or at least to minimize them. Let me share my views. First, there is an urgent need for the government and the House of Representatives to issue strict government regulations and laws restricting blatant nepotism and limiting the power to issue business permits at a local level. Why is this so important? Regional autonomy has created many miniature “kingdoms” and “kings” or “queens” in the form of governors, regents and mayors. They are so powerful that they can easily veto or simply ignore the central government’s policies or laws. Many governors or regents issue business licenses even though it is very clear they are not allowed by law to do so. The central government is often powerless against local rulers. Just look at the education budget. The state is obliged to allocate 20 percent of the state budget for education. These huge funds are very meaningful in enhancing the quality of the country’s education. In realty the central government and also the local government make their own interpretation about the constitutional mandate. At the local government level, the situation is even worse because local councils and administrations often use a major portion of their education budget for other development projects. It often happens that teachers find great difficulties in getting their special allowances from the central government. They are supposed to receive extra pay every quarter but it rarely happens, sometimes they have to wait for more than a year. The governors, regents and mayors often “borrow” the money without any explanation. This practice is rampant and the Education and Culture Ministry blames the local governments for the failure. I myself have personally checked the accuracy of the teachers’ complaints. Some teachers are only able to get what is rightfully theirs after their letters are published in national newspapers. Second, incumbent state officials should resign from their current position if they want to try their luck in another post. In the April legislative election several Cabinet members such as Youth and Sports Minister Roy Suryo Notodiprojo were nominated by their parties to contest the polls. Roy failed but he will remain in his post as a minister until a new president is sworn in October. Very strict legal regulations should be issued. Such candidates must think twice before their nomination to run for the House. Political opponents have urged Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to resign from his post before his official registration as a presidential candidate next month. At first glance their demands are sensible, but what they pretend to forget is that Jokowi is not the first state official to have done this. He has just followed the general tradition and practice. As long as the laws and government regulations still have such large loopholes or still tolerate the practice, it is not fair for his rivals — none of whom apparently have any official position — to restrict Jokowi’s right to run in the presidential race. Third, the nation also needs to reconsider our generosity in allowing almost any citizen to contest the legislative elections. Many of the candidates for national and local legislative councils borrow money from banks or relatives or sell their assets to finance their campaigns or to lure voters. They cannot afford to finance their ambitions. Many failed candidates have to see psychiatrists because they are too depressed to accept their failure and the financial obligations that they must now meet. All candidates should be required to deposit a minimum amount of money at a bank and the General Elections Commission (KPU) (at local and national level) should have access to the accounts, and the money should be used to pay their obligations or to pay fines for their failure. Only financially capable candidates — in addition to other requirements — should be allowed to join the race. Many legislators have engaged in corruption because they have to show a return on their investment, they must accumulate wealth to finance their reelection and to maintain the loyalty of their constituents. Many political parties are dependent on the state subsidy, the amount of which is determined by the percentage of the votes they get in the elections. Any citizens have the right to set up political parties because the constitution guarantees this freedom. But the leaders and members of the parties need to have their own financial resources to fund their activities. Political parties should be able to meet certain financial requirements before their official registration. Many countries have adopted this policy including the world’s largest democracy, India. All citizens have the freedom to realize the dream of becoming state officials or to set up political parties. But they should not allow themselves to become parasites that suck state funds in order to finance their ambitions. ●