VZCZCXRO8620
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0607/01 0930929
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030929Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2028
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000607 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS 
NSC FOR E.PHU 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KCOR PREL ID
SUBJECT: Corruption continues to resonate as key campaign issue 
 
REF: A) Jakarta 386; B) Jakarta 219; C) 08 Jakarta 2177 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Combating corruption continues to be a popular 
election campaign message for many Indonesian political parties. 
Anti-corruption reform and a clean image are critical elements of 
President Yudhoyono and his Democrat Party's (PD) popularity.  The 
Yudhoyono administration's progress on corruption over the past five 
years and the numerous corruption cases involving Parliamentarians 
have led to PD's image as the cleanest party.  Smaller parties - 
particularly the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) - use corruption as 
a central campaign message, arguing that they will clean up 
Parliament.  A current Parliament corruption scandal involving PD, 
PKS, and other members does not appear to be negatively affecting PD 
or PKS's clean image.  End summary. 
 
Voters still focusing on clean candidates 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In 2004, President Yudhoyono centered his campaign on an 
anti-corruption reform platform.  And corruption still resonates as 
a critical issue in 2009 elections.  A January 2009 International 
Republican Institute (IRI) poll noted honesty (60%) and opposition 
to corruption (24%) as voters' second and third most important 
criteria to select a legislative candidate.  However, only 24% of 
respondents said corruption was one of the three most important 
policy issues facing Indonesia, according to the poll.  High prices 
for basic necessities (74% of respondents placed it in the top three 
issues facing Indonesia), poverty (56%), unemployment (35%), 
education (31%), and health care (28%) all ranked ahead of 
corruption.  These data suggest that corruption is a useful campaign 
message, but Indonesian voters do not see corruption as a top policy 
issue for the government.  Economic issues and basic welfare 
continue to be the bottom line for most voters. 
 
All parties implicated in corruption, but PD cleanest 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) No major political party has escaped corruption 
investigations by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) this 
year.  Transparency International-Indonesia polls consistently rank 
Parliament as one of the most corrupt government institutions. 
Recent investigations and prosecutions have confirmed this 
perception: the Corruption Eradication Commission has prosecuted 
nine Members of Parliament from a range of political parties since 
January 2008, has already convicted six, and is investigating others 
(ref A). 
 
¶4. (SBU) President Yudhoyono himself has maintained a clean image, 
which helps to bolster the popularity of PD legislative candidates. 
A recent Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) poll ranked PD as the 
cleanest party (25%), with PKS as a distant second (9%) and PDI-P 
third (7%).  Nearly 50% of respondents identified PD as the party 
that most consistently fights against corruption, according to the 
IRI poll.  President Yudhoyono has also maintained his 
anti-corruption image by not allowing anyone - including family and 
PD members - to be above the law.  The KPK arrested Aulia Pohan, the 
father-in-law of the President's son, in November 2008 (ref B and 
C).  And the President also sent a strong message to a PD Member of 
Parliament embroiled in a current corruption scandal: stop 
campaigning and meet with the KPK before the April 9 election. 
 
Smaller parties campaigning on corruption message 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Smaller parties are focusing campaign messages on combating 
corruption, specifically in Parliament.  The PKS campaign motto is 
"clean, caring, and professional" and its campaign rallies have 
focused on pledges to establish a clean Parliament.  PKS's pledge to 
remove corruption from Parliament reflects a tack taken by other 
smaller parties.  Gerindra legislative candidate Halida Hatta - 
sister of current Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Hatta - 
has campaign posters in central Jakarta with a simple message: 
Gerinda - for a clean Parliament.  Bigger parties have focused less 
on corruption.  Golkar was identified as the most corrupt party 
(18%) in the IRI poll, the only party registering more than 6% of 
respondents.  The recent corruption scandal involving Golkar leader 
and Gorontalo Governor Fadel Mohammed - a potential Vice 
Presidential candidate - could feed into perceptions that Golkar is 
not a "clean" or "anti-corruption reform" party. 
 
PD weathering current scandal, maintaining clean image 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The latest Parliament scandal has implicated PD, PKS, and 
other Members of Parliament accused of taking bribes related to the 
recent fiscal stimulus package.  Jhonny Allen is a key budget 
commission member in Parliament for PD, but has a relatively low 
profile within the party.  PKS Member of Parliament Rama Pratama - 
 
JAKARTA 00000607  002 OF 002 
 
 
also accused of being involved in this scandal - is part of the 
younger wing of PKS and holds a higher profile position in his 
party.  Pratama dismissed the corruption charges as a smear campaign 
in front a large PKS rally.  President Yudhoyono and PD leaders have 
publicly called for Allen to comply with the KPK investigation and 
accept any penalties if guilty.  PD has not suffered any noticeable 
drop in public opinion due to the scandal, according to political 
commentators and civil society leaders.  PD and PKS are weathering 
this storm so far.  Nonetheless, the scandal reveals the public's 
interest in corruption cases and the possibility of corruption cases 
influencing the upcoming elections. 
 
HUME