The foundations for a transparent and democratic political process combined with effective and just judicial system have been laid. The challenge now is to build on those initial reforms. While more progress has been made than is generally acknowledged, Indonesia remains within the bottom half of the world’s most corrupt nations, according to the annual survey by Transparency International.
As the government and other state agencies, such as the KPK, act more confidently against corruption all the while becoming more accountable to the public, it is essential that Indonesians take greater ownership of the reform process.
The Partnership is the only national CSO working on governance reform throughout Indonesia. In our eight years, the organization has established a strong network of CSOs, formed close ties with the government, the media, mass based organizations and private sector groups. The Partnership has also developed a comprehensive governance index that serves as a national barometer of governance practices across the archipelago. To date the Partnership has implemented 323 projects in 33 provinces worth $70 million. External evaluations have confirmed that the Partnership is considered highly effective and has established itself as the leading local governance reform organization advocate in Indonesia.
In 2008, the Partnership conducted a governance assessment survey in 33 provinces, supported the General Election Commission’s efforts to develop election regulations and monitoring and evaluation procedures, assisted the General Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) with its strategic plan and ensured public participation in the selection of state commissions (KPK, KY, the Ombudsman Commission, Kompolnas and LPSK). The Partnership also helped draft the Anti-Corruption Court Law, the Draft Law on Asset Recovery, and successfully advocated for increased female representation in government.
The Partnership is ready to mobilize, manage and administer its own resources in a transparent and accountable manner as it becomes fully independent from UNDP this year. As reflected in its audited reports since 2004, the Partnership continues to realize operational efficiencies, streamlining the organization through late 2008 and moving to more affordable and practical premises in South Jakarta.
Looking ahead, the Partnership remains committed to continuing and capitalizing on past year’s best practices and pursuing governance reform within the organization, streamlining operations while maintaining its professionalism, integrity and accountability. In the spirit of the Jakarta Commitment, we are striving to become the proven national entity capable of directly managing donor funds. The Partnership sees the current economic crisis as a serious challenge and will seek out new innovative approaches to adapt to the possibility of new political directions in the wake of national elections.
I wish to take this opportunity to convey my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all staff, particularly the Executive Director, Mohamad Sobary, who during his three years of leadership, has maintained the team’s cohesiveness and inspired them to advance the Partnership’s strategy and workplan to achieve its broader organizational goals. In addition, I cordially thank the Executive and the Governing Board, the Partners, our implementing agencies and domestic and international donors – particularly UNDP and Bappenas – for helping the Partnership to become an effective and now self-reliant institution.
Erna Witoelar
Chairperson of Executive Board
Partnership
