VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Indonesia encourages respect for the rule of law and rejects anything above the law. This was conveyed by Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi while attending the 2nd Summit for Democracy session of the Indo-Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Meeting in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday (30/3).

"The anti-corruption agency must be strengthened so that it can carry out its oversight function effectively," she said in a statement submitted online and received in Jakarta, Friday (31/3).

Retno Marsudi said, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), losses due to corruption globally reached USD 2.6 trillion per year, far higher than the required funds needed to overcome global hunger which amounted to USD 40 billion per year.

"What the world needs is a strong and healthy democracy," she said.

He also highlighted the importance of involving the public to work together to fight corruption.

"Democracy opens space for public participation in good governance," she said.

Another thing that is also needed in efforts to build a strong and healthy democracy in the world is the importance of encouraging global collaboration in fighting corruption. According to Retno, efforts to fight corruption cannot be carried out alone, especially if it involves many assets and cross-countries.

"International cooperation that needs to be carried out is not limited to information exchange and capacity building, but must also involve cooperation in mutual legal assistance, extradition, and facilitating asset recovery," she said.

Furthermore, Retno Marsudi emphasized that no country should become a haven for corruptors to hide their assets. He also emphasized that democracy and good governance must mutually strengthen each other in order to eradicate corruption.

The 2nd Summit for Democracy meeting of the Indo-Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Meeting agreed on the Seoul Declaration on Challenges and Progress in Addressing Corruption. This declaration emphasizes the commitment to promoting democracy and eradicating corruption and the importance of international cooperation in the prevention, detection, investigation, and judicial process related to corruption. (VOI/Andy)