Wake-up call for Democrats
The latest survey by the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) that found the Democratic Party fall behind its ally and chief competitor Golkar for the first time since the 2009 elections should not come as a surprise, even for the ruling party.
The Democrats should know well and should have prepared actions to regain the public faith that helped it win the 2009 legislative elections and lead its chief patron Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to victory in the last two presidential elections.
The survey found it is the Democratic Party’s lack-luster efforts in dealing with a corruption case implicating its former treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin that has greatly contributed to its declining popularity.
The public has witnessed a stark contrast between the party’s claims, and Yudhoyono’s included, to combat corruption and its defense of Nazaruddin, who has reportedly been in Singapore since he fled Indonesia just 24 hours before the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) issued a travel ban on him on May 24.
Nazaruddin is linked to a bribery case surrounding a construction project for the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Palembang, South Sumatra, in which the KPK has named three people, including the secretary of the Youth and Sports Ministry, Wafid Muharram. The KPK, however, has summoned Nazaruddin twice for questioning as a witness in connection with corruption within the National Education Ministry.
Similar to the first summons last week, the second KPK summons for questioning on Monday was left unheeded. Nazaruddin has cited illness as an excuse, despite the absence of convincing proof, but strangely the Democratic Party takes his word for granted.
Instead of providing assistance to the KPK, the Democrats have blamed the anti-graft commission for Nazaruddin’s absence, which only confirms speculation that the ruling party will stretch its limits to protect Nazaruddin, as his testimony to the investigators is feared to potentially deal the party a major blow.
That the party stubbornly stands behind Nazaruddin, despite Yudhoyono’s order to bring the young lawmaker back home, will give rise to the public’s doubt over not only its pre-election campaign against corruption, but also the party’s commitment to fair play in the run-up to the 2014 elections. Critics have anticipated the Nazaruddin case may expose massive fund rising efforts benefiting from projects funded by the state budget.
For Yudhoyono, the Nazaruddin saga is a test of his statesmanship. The decline in his Democratic Party’s popularity must have something to do with his slow actions in response to Nazaruddin’s implication in the SEA Games graft case and in particular his failure to exercise his power to make Nazaruddin comply with the law.
Yudhoyono won credits when he allowed former Bank Indonesia deputy governor Aulia Pohan, who is the father-in-law of his son, to face prosecution that eventually sent him to jail for graft. The President has also been widely lauded for allowing investigations of regional heads, either governors or regents, for their alleged involvement in corruption.
In short, Yudhoyono, as the head of state, has an undisputed commitment to the war on graft, but when it comes to corruption implicating his party, the much-awaited bold action is absent, at least in the case of Nazaruddin.
A Democratic Party executive admits the LSI survey serves as a wake-up call for the party. But with or without the survey, the party’s responsibility to make Nazaruddin face the music and clean up corrupt elements stands.
The Democrats should know well and should have prepared actions to regain the public faith that helped it win the 2009 legislative elections and lead its chief patron Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to victory in the last two presidential elections.
The survey found it is the Democratic Party’s lack-luster efforts in dealing with a corruption case implicating its former treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin that has greatly contributed to its declining popularity.
The public has witnessed a stark contrast between the party’s claims, and Yudhoyono’s included, to combat corruption and its defense of Nazaruddin, who has reportedly been in Singapore since he fled Indonesia just 24 hours before the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) issued a travel ban on him on May 24.
Nazaruddin is linked to a bribery case surrounding a construction project for the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Palembang, South Sumatra, in which the KPK has named three people, including the secretary of the Youth and Sports Ministry, Wafid Muharram. The KPK, however, has summoned Nazaruddin twice for questioning as a witness in connection with corruption within the National Education Ministry.
Similar to the first summons last week, the second KPK summons for questioning on Monday was left unheeded. Nazaruddin has cited illness as an excuse, despite the absence of convincing proof, but strangely the Democratic Party takes his word for granted.
Instead of providing assistance to the KPK, the Democrats have blamed the anti-graft commission for Nazaruddin’s absence, which only confirms speculation that the ruling party will stretch its limits to protect Nazaruddin, as his testimony to the investigators is feared to potentially deal the party a major blow.
That the party stubbornly stands behind Nazaruddin, despite Yudhoyono’s order to bring the young lawmaker back home, will give rise to the public’s doubt over not only its pre-election campaign against corruption, but also the party’s commitment to fair play in the run-up to the 2014 elections. Critics have anticipated the Nazaruddin case may expose massive fund rising efforts benefiting from projects funded by the state budget.
For Yudhoyono, the Nazaruddin saga is a test of his statesmanship. The decline in his Democratic Party’s popularity must have something to do with his slow actions in response to Nazaruddin’s implication in the SEA Games graft case and in particular his failure to exercise his power to make Nazaruddin comply with the law.
Yudhoyono won credits when he allowed former Bank Indonesia deputy governor Aulia Pohan, who is the father-in-law of his son, to face prosecution that eventually sent him to jail for graft. The President has also been widely lauded for allowing investigations of regional heads, either governors or regents, for their alleged involvement in corruption.
In short, Yudhoyono, as the head of state, has an undisputed commitment to the war on graft, but when it comes to corruption implicating his party, the much-awaited bold action is absent, at least in the case of Nazaruddin.
A Democratic Party executive admits the LSI survey serves as a wake-up call for the party. But with or without the survey, the party’s responsibility to make Nazaruddin face the music and clean up corrupt elements stands.
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