Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said several groups had hindered his anti-corruption efforts since he first assumed office.

In a state address made ahead of the World Anti-Corruption Day on December 9 at the state palace here on Tuesday President Yudhoyono said the groups wished he would drop the anti-corruption drive from his administration`s agenda.

"Even, at the early stage after the launch of the corruption eradication program several parties had tried to make me abandon the agenda. The groups had asked me to conduct a moratorium on corruption cases," he said.

To their request, he said, he had answered "no." On the other hand, he even reiterated his committment to keep fighting and not to tolerate corruption.

He said those who had enjoyed the benefit of the corruptive climate and state administration so far would certainly not stay idle but would continue by any means to stop efforts to clean the country from corruption.

"To those groups we will not stay idle or tolerate. Let us hand in hand work together to fight so that the corrupt groups will not be able to live longer in this country," he said.

On the occasion , he also spoke about the achievements that he had made in the past five years in the fight against corruption.

He said the Corruption Perception Index from the result of a survey done by the Transparency International for the country kept improving from two in 2004 to 2.8 in 2009.

In the past five years, he said he had signed 138 permits for investigating corrupt state officials.

"The number is also the highest in the country`s history. It has also been a new record in history that in the past five years anti-corruption law enforcement had touched state officials from former ministers to governors, district heads/mayors, members of parliament and regional legislative assemblies and other high-ranking officials," he said.

President Yudhoyono said settlement of corruption cases kept increasing in terms of number as well as state money saved.

He said in 2009 the attorney general`s office had settled 1,292 corruption cases saving Rp4.8 trillion of the potential loss the state would suffer. The police meanwhile from 2006 to 2009 had investigated 767 corruption cases and saved Rp20 billion worth of state funds.

The head of state also said that the government had also been able to recover 39,477 accounts and save the potential loss of Rp35.92 trillion, US$237.94 million and 2.8 million euros.

He said in the next five years he wished he would be able to inherit a success in corruption eradication for the next government.

"I wish in the last five years of my second administration people will be able to really enjoy the concrete results of the campaign we have voiced so far for a clean government," he said.(*)

Editor: Heru
COPYRIGHT © 2012

Comment
Send Comment