Indonesian leader stresses no discrimination in fighting graft

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Monday that there is no discrimination in combating rampant corruption in the country. "Corruption is rampant in this country. It is a serious problem, and it hinders the country's development," Yudhoyono was quoted by Antara news wire as saying. "We should not tolerate corruption. We should not allow corruption to be a part of our lives. So far, there has not been any discrimination in our corruption eradication efforts. Still, the results are not evident," he said. He said besides bringing corrupt people to justice, it is also important to eliminate the sources of corruption. "Corruption cannot be eradicated instantly. It will take a long time (to achieve the goal)," said the president. There are four areas that a law enforcer needs to pay special attention to when it comes to eradicating corruption. The first is the procurement of goods and services, where markups should be prevented. Indonesia has sent scores of officials from central bank governor to lawmakers to jail on corruption charges.