Mulya Lubis Presides Over ASEAN Anticorruption Caucus
Friday, 25 April, 2008 | 19:51 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Todung Mulya Lubis, Head of the ASEAN Anticorruption Caucus, promised he would help regional organizations in Southeast Asia to form an Anticorruption Charter. The reason for this is that corruption eradication is not solely on the national agenda.

“Surely, we would have a war against corruption as part of an ASEAN agenda,” Lubis told Tempo yesterday (4/25). He was just elected in the two-day caucus meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, early this week.

The caucus is a group of Southeast Asian anticorruption activists including Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia that already has a representative office of Transparency International—a nonprofit organization which handles corruption globally. The organization also involves some people from Singapore, Cambodia, Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam.

Todung said he imagined that 10 other ASEAN countries will have a similar corruption eradication commission as it is in Indonesia—a super organization which eradicates corruption without the authority’s interference. It is only Malaysia having the plan to set up such a commission. Previously, the neighboring country established an Anticorruption Agency (ACA). However, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi ensured that a corruption eradication commission will be commenced this year.

As an initial step, Todung visited Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Secretary General in Jakarta, yesterday (4/24). He suggested discussing the idea on the ASEAN Anticorruption Charter with Foreign Affairs Minister Nur Hassan Wirajuda or President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

According to Todung, the anticorruption agenda in ASEAN is crucial as a result of the high corruption rate in the region. He cited Indonesia. “However, it doesn’t mean that Singapore and Malaysia are clean. They are only smarter,” he said.

Faisal Assegaf