Demonstrators were out in force in Jakarta and other cities this week in celebration of UN International Anti-Corruption Day with protesters calling for the resignations of Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani. Of course, there is not yet any evidence that they did anything wrong in deciding to bail out Bank Century. Each will need their own version of a strong skin as its getting a bit touchy at the moment. Ibu Sri, rather than turn the other cheek, accused the Golkar Party of revenge for decisions she has made in the past against businesses associated with the party’s chairman, Aburizal Bakrie. Their oil and water relationship was no secret in Jakarta, especially after she refused to stop trading on the Jakarta Stock Exchange when several Bakrie-related entities were losing value. Golkar leaders, supposedly a coalition partner fired back warning the finance minister to “be careful”. You hate to see such sniping among the elite; it seems so misplaced given the greater issues confronting the country. The investigations begun by Indonesia’s House and Anti-Corruption Commissions will be one of the best shows in the coming months. They may actually do Indonesia a world of good if handled impartially and don’t turn into a form of extortion of favors from the President. Or worse yet, a witch hunt of dedicated public servants who actually take their jobs and reform seriously rather than worry about getting the best car at the taxpayer’s expense. How ironic it is that amidst this very strong call for the rule of law police and prosecutors jailed a farmer for stealing bananas after he cleaned up after a traffic accident and arrested a grandmother for pinching three cocoa pods. Its heartening to see that even this received, you guessed it, a protest of its own. (these views do not necessarily represent those of the American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce or its members)
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