Gamawan Fauzi, an award winning anti-corruption politician is Indonesia’s home minister in Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s new cabinet. The appointment announced on Oct 21 has been acclaimed by the anti-corruption movement in Indonesia and elsewhere.

Gamawan Fauzi, the governor of West Sumatra, was busy with the reconstruction of the recently devastated region when the announcement came. Since 1995, Gamawan has made good governance, transparency and accountability a priority in the various districts he has served in Sumatra.

Among his most effective measures has been the introduction of Transparency International’s Integrity Pacts for all local government contracts in Solok, West Sumatra when he was the regent or ‘Baupati’ of the Solok Regency from 1995-2005.

In 2003, Gamawan attended Transparency International’s (TI) anti-corruption conference in Seoul where he learnt of TI’s Integrity Pact, an anti-corruption tool to prevent corruption in procurement. He took a keen interest in the IPs and approached Transparency International Indonesia (TII) to assist in the introduction of the IP in his regency, Solok in West Sumatra.

To facilitate the introduction of IPs in Solok, Gamawan took some bold measures such administrative reforms. These bureaucratic changes were necessary for greater transparency in contracts as well as citizen participation in the monitoring of IPs.

On Nov 10, 2003 all local government institutions and officials signed the Integrity Pact. This was a bold and brave step in a country that condoned corruption for too long. No contractors were allowed to visit him when he was the regent.

In December 2007, I was a member of the TI team that did an independent monitoring of the implementation of the IPs in Solok. By then, Gamawan was governor of West Sumatra.

His successor in Solok was proud and zealous in continuing with the IPs initiated by Gamawan. We were given access to all documents and those involved in the IP process from the head of the IP monitoring team to local officials, villagers and contractors.

To enhance transparency in the IP implementation, the Solok regency held public hearings on projects and corruption and introduced Citizen Report Cards.

During the period I was in Solok and Padang, I was fortunate to hear Gamawan address government officials - including the police - on the need to combat corruption to bring Indonesia out of its crippling poverty. He underscored the critical importance of political will in building institutions that practice good governance, integrity and transparency.

Gamawan’s passion and commitment to fight corruption is rooted in the Islamic values imparted by his parents, both educators. In 2004, he won the Bung-Hatta Anti-Corruption Award. Everyone I spoke to in Solok and Padang, from the airport porter to government officials, villagers and contractors supported the anti-corruption efforts of Gamawan. Said the porter, ‘He can win the elections without an election fund because he is an honest politician.’

Gamawan Fauzi, Indonesia’s new home minister, has shown that with political will, it is possible to change norms and reform institutions that create opportunities for corruption to thrive.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has some important lessons to learn on political will from Indonesia’s new home minister as Malaysia battles corruption both in the public, private and political sectors.

The writer is board member, Transparency International Malaysia.