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