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Graft and the Budi politic |
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Indonesia
The last few days have not been kind to Priyo Budi Santoso. The deputy speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) is to be questioned by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) regarding allegations of embezzlement in the procurement of holy Qur'an books. The investigation was prompted by the guilty verdicts passed on father and son Zulkarnaen Djabar and Dendy Prasetia. The judges have concluded that Priyo received a fee in the procurement of Qur'ans and the construction of a computer laboratory at the Religious Affairs Ministry during the 2011 financial year.
The chairman of the Mutual Assistance Consultative Organization (MKGR) has repeatedly refuted the charges, but it is not easy to stop the stench from leaking out. The facts currently being compiled by the KPK show that Priyo may have been involved in the case. He was one of the group of young people who joined the MKGR and the MKGR Young Generation (Gema). Priyo will find it difficult to evade culpability because the corruption was committed by members of these two organizations.
Zulkarnaen is Priyo's deputy in the MKGR, while Dendy is chairman of MKGR Gema. Four other people indicted by the KPK are managers of the two mass organizations. Information from one of them, Fahd El Fouz, was used by the judges in Zulkarnaen's trial. They allegedly manipulated Rp22 billion allocated to procure Qur'ans and funds to pay for the construction of the Rp31.5-million computer laboratory. In addition to divvying up the spoils, these ill-gotten gains were also used to fund the operations of the two organizations.
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Indonesia
The inspectorates-general must be given the authority to submit their reports to law enforcers. Achieving a clean government begins in this way. An important discovery has emerged from allegations of a Rp700-billion corruption case at the Education and Culture Ministry. It turns out that there are many weaknesses in the ministry's oversight system. One of them is the inspectorate-general, an internal unit responsible for oversight which is unable to report suspected corruption cases to the law enforcement authorities. The alleged embezzlement case worth Rp700 billion, for example, showed clearly the weakness of the inspectorate-general. The results of its investigation now led by Haryono Umar, a former head of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) could only be reported to Mohammad Nuh, the Education and Culture Minister. He has the authority to look at the findings and recommendations of the inspectorate, but he did not seem to be in much of a hurry to report the alleged corruption to the KPK, despite the fact that the findings implicated Deputy Minister for Cultural Affairs Wiendu Nuryanti. And here is the greatest weakness of all: the inspectorate has no choice but to wait for the minister to act.
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Women’s exodus from the work force: Not just brain drain |
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Malaysia
JUNE 12 ? A recent BFM podcast episode, “The New Brain Drain,” discussed the relatively low rate of women’s participation in the Malaysian workforce, focusing specifically on the challenges faced by mothers working outside the home. The government is showing an interest in women’s contribution to the national economy: Prime Minister Najib Razak recently commented that women’s participation in the workforce should be improved to aid growth.
However, the discussion in the episode is underscored by several problematic assumptions and generalisations about gender roles in parenting, as well as other work equity issues, that need to be corrected. Foundational inequities must be addressed with the aim of empowering women and challenging societal views of gender norms; otherwise, discussions on revamping the workforce and on measuring productivity and contributions by women would only lead to cosmetic changes.
The podcast began by highlighting the low level of women in the workforce – 46 per cent compared to 70 per cent in Thailand and 60 per cent in Singapore– before noting that one challenge for several women in the workforce was that they also had to juggle roles as mothers or carers. It also noted the decreasing number of women in higher job positions, and discussed some methods to increase the number of women in the professional workforce. Co-sponsored by the Economic Transformation Program, the podcast highlighted flexible working arrangements as a solution, as advocated by TalentCorp Malaysia under its Talent Wanita programme.
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Malaysia
JUNE 9 — Compromised. Insulting. Dangerous. These three words describe aptly members of the Malaysian Cabinet formed following GE13. * Compromised Tengku Adnan Mansor is the least qualified to speak about the rule of law and following the law. This politician was found guilty by the Royal Commission of Inquiry of subverting the course of justice by trying to fix the appointment of judges.
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