Corruption 'may fuel militancy in Indonesia'

The Straits Times, October 27, 2007
by Shefali Rekhi, Assistant Foreign Editor


CORRUPTION in Indonesia is hurting people and strangling foreign direct investment, former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage said.

Washington feared this could lead to an increase in militancy, he said in calling for Jakarta to embrace greater transparency and rule of law.

Mr Armitage, who now heads private consultancy Armitage International, made these remarks while discussing the future of US-Asean ties during a private visit to Singapore this week.

He urged the region to continue to strengthen itself by taking more steps such as agreeing to sign the Asean Charter next month.

Asean could become the focal point for Washington under the next administration, so it should keep 'lines of communication' open to both the Republicans and Democrats, he said.

At the same time, he said, certain 'uneven developments' in the region should be addressed.

'While Singapore is going gang-busters and Vietnam is doing very well, there is concern about Indonesia and Malaysia slipping back,' said Mr Armitage.

'The election of Dr Yudhoyono showed that the people of Indonesia opted for moderation rather than militancy.

'But if corruption cannot be stamped out, then it will again give rise to militancy and people won't have faith that they can better their lives through the ballot box.

'I think if the government of Indonesia can get a handle on the problem, it would very much aid the situation.'

A recently released survey by Transparency International (TI) showed that Indonesia's ranking suffered a further knock in the past year.

On TI's Corruption Perception Index (CPI), Indonesia got a score of 2.3 this year against 2.4 last year.

The CPI, which ranges from zero to 10, reflects public perception of a country's commitment to fight corruption.

Discussing other countries, Mr Armitage said Malaysia had to watch for tensions between the bumiputeras and others while Thailand needed to keep moving towards democracy.

He chided the Bush administration for neglecting South-east Asia and said its 'myopic' focus on the Middle East could reduce Washington's influence.

'Our short-term interests will take the place of our longer-term interests and by the time we wake up, the ship will have left the dock,' he noted.

There has been concern lately about the state of US-Asean ties after the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cancelled her visit to Manila for the Asean Regional Forum this year.

This was followed by US President George W. Bush opting to postpone a meeting with Asean leaders in Singapore because he had to return to Washington to face a debate on Iraq.

Mr Bush has since invited Asean leaders to visit him at his Crawford ranch in Texas, but no date has been set.