May 20, 2010
Joe Cochrane
Empty Chambers for Sri Mulyani Are the Telltale Signs of a Sick House
In uncertain times, it’s easy to get confused. And when you’re confused, you may not be able to tell the difference between right and wrong, fact and fiction.
That’s no way to go through life. So in this spirit, the nation should reach out and give a big hug to members of the House of Representatives, take them in, nurse them and do whatever else is necessary to help them get better. Because after what some lawmakers did on Thursday, there’s no other explanation than to conclude that they are a sick bunch.
Outgoing Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati visited the House on Thursday on her last day in office, and as usual she didn’t bring envelopes stuffed with cash to hand out. She was there to give a presentation on the 2011 state budget, and was met by mostly empty seats. Hundreds of lawmakers either boycotted her presence or walked out when Sri Mulyani began her speech.
There have been a lot of low points in the history of the House, which as we all know is often regarded in surveys as among the most corrupt institutions in the country. But Thursday was especially embarrassing, given the delusion that is at the root of the House’s actions dating back to last December.
Given that they are directly elected officials of an independent state institution, the lawmakers can act as they see fit. But that doesn’t mean it’s right, or even remotely correct. The actions of certain members of the House clearly seek to imply that Sri Mulyani is a corrupt official, even though such claims are laughable. Still, these lawmakers have no alternative, lest they lose face, but to continue their community theater bit and act as if it’s physically repugnant to be in the same room as Sri Mulyani.
Luckily, we all know better. It would be pleasant if these lawmakers stopped with the shameless charade that they are somehow the guardians of clean government. Did they bother looking at the newspapers on Tuesday? Three sitting lawmakers and one former one were sentenced to prison terms for taking bribes in the Miranda Goeltom-Bank Indonesia election fiasco of 2004.
And these four are just the beginning. Prosecutors say that at least 39 members of a 41-member House commission took bribes to vote Goeltom in as a central bank deputy governor. And how did lawmakers respond? By bitterly complaining that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) targeted the guilty legislators first, instead of the people who gave the bribes.
Should we even be surprised? In 2009, the House reduced the KPK’s budget, which critics said was in retaliation for the arrest of eight lawmakers who were later convicted of corruption. And these are the people who said Sri Mulyani should have a travel ban slapped on her so she can’t “escape” prosecution in the Bank Century case.
In the interest of the truth, it’s time to dispel a few myths here. First, Sri Mulyani and Vice President Boediono aren’t suspects in the Bank Century bailout case, nor will they be. They were questioned as witnesses, unlike, for example, lawmaker Mukhamad Misbakhun, who was arrested for allegedly faking a letter to get a $22.5 million line of credit from the bank.
Second, Sri Mulyani’s departure for the World Bank is not going to benefit Indonesia, or increase the country’s international profile, despite what some politicians, obviously sick with fever, have tried to argue. She will be contractually banned from lobbying on behalf of, or using her position in any way to help Indonesia. Let’s put it this way: If football star Wayne Rooney renounced his citizenship and played in next month’s World Cup for Spain, would that somehow benefit the English squad?
Third, Sri Mulyani’s departure will not bring political stability to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s coalition. Actually, nothing will, because legislators are not beholden to the leaders of their respective political parties. Now that they are directly elected, they have even less reason to listen to party bosses in Yudhoyono’s cabinet.
We’ve already seen the president’s so-called ruling coalition break ranks in the selection of a Bank Indonesia deputy governor on May 10, even after Sri Mulyani announced she was leaving. And lawmakers continue to talk about taking the first step to impeach Boediono, which calls into question why Yudhoyono even continues to play coalition politics in a presidential system.
So to summarize, Sri Mulyani broke no laws in authorizing the Bank Century bailout but has left the cabinet; Indonesia won’t benefit from her new position at the World Bank; and Yudhoyono’s shaky coalition is no more solid than it ever was. So, can someone explain this “win-win” situation I read so much about?
Actually, if there’s one winner here, it’s Indonesia’s economy, which remains fundamentally strong and attractive to foreign investors, regardless of whether Sri Mulyani or new Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo is at the helm. Same goes for the Finance Ministry’s reform agenda and anticorruption drive, which Sri Mulyani herself said would live long after she was gone.
So what are lawmakers to make of that? I personally don’t think their intention was to strip away years of hard-won reforms and reintroduce the Suharto-era patronage system. They would never have gotten away with that.
I think they just didn’t like Sri Mulyani, and the fact that she wouldn’t play politics with them. While it’s Sri Mulyani who has to go off into self-exile, at least her reputation remains intact. So much, in fact, that she might be a formidable candidate for president one day.
Just the thought of that is enough to make many a lawmaker sick.
Joe Cochrane is a Jakarta Globe contributing editor.
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