Ramadhan Pohan, the deputy chairman of House Commission I that oversees defense issues, questioned the validity of results from a recent survey conducted by watchdog Transparency International UK. In the survey, whose results were announced earlier this week, Indonesia was given an E, one step above the lowest score, in the Government Defense Anti-Corruption Index. The score meant that Indonesia is considered to be at “very high risk” of corruption. Ramadhan said that the results of the survey were baseless. “Who does it involve, where is the evidence? If one accuses without providing the evidence, that is tyrannical,” said Ramadhan, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party.
He said that if there were any violation, he would not hinder any legal process. But he added that law enforcement could not be based on opinion and perception. “There should be at least two [forms of] evidence, and it is then eligible for it to start a legal process,” said Ramadhan, who is also deputy secretary general of the Democratic Party. Indonesia was given the same rank as Afghanistan, Iraq, Uganda, Zimbabwe and the Philippines. Among those countries ranking even lower were Libya, Egypt and Cameroon. Only two of the 82 countries surveyed had the top A grade — Germany and Australia.
Britain-based Transparency International said in its report that the Indonesian defense sector is dominated by cartels of political parties through lawmakers sitting in House Commission I. The Indo...
