Exodus from KPK

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Head of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Public Relations Bureau, Febri Diansyah, after speaking to journalists regarding his resignation as KPK spokesman in front of the KPK building lobby, Kuningan, Jakarta, Thursday (26/12/2019). At the end of September 2020, Febri resigned from the KPK because he considered that the institution had changed.

A total of 31 employees of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have resigned since the anticorruption body is led by Comr. Gen. Firli Bahuri.

The latest one to bid farewell and quit the agency was the head of the KPK public relations bureau and former KPK spokesman, Febri Diansyah. "The KPK has changed," said Febri Diansyah. The resignation of a number of KPK employees has prompted various responses even among the KPK leaders themselves.

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A KPK spokesman said that the resignation of several employees was a common thing in an organization and that 157 employees had resigned in the period of 2016-2020. Some KPK leaders expressed regret over the resignation of a number of KPK employees, but other KPK leaders view the resigning employees as people having given up on the fight against corruption.

There is no internal survey at the KPK to ascertain why its employees resigned. The reasoning that they want to have a (better) career elsewhere is actually just a cliché fallback argument. Having joined a corruption eradication agency, they were certainly not just regular “job seekers” without any idealism, and it would seem wrong to blame them. Those who joined the anticorruption body shared the same values. No matter how small the value, these young employees must have had the same idealism when joining the KPK, namely to help rid Indonesia of corruption.

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KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for the 2019-2023 period Firli Bahuri (from left to right), KPK deputy chairman Alexander Marwata, KPK deputy chairperson Lili Pintauli Siregar, KPK deputy chairman Nawawi Pomolango and KPK deputy chairman Nurul Ghfron read out the integrity pact during the office handover from KPK 2019-2023 leaders at the KPK building, Jakarta, Friday (20/12/2019). The KPK supervisory council, led by Tumpak Hatorangan and KPK chairman Firli Bahuri, has officially begun serving for the 2019-2023 period.

At the beginning, the KPK\'s code of ethics was very strict. In fact, KPK employees even brought their own drinking water. No facilities should be given to KPK employees. Such values were upheld for a long time, giving pride to KPK employees. However, along with political dynamics, those value are fading. The value of hedonism has begun to infect KPK leaders.

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Febri is right, the KPK has indeed changed. The consensus between the interests of President Joko Widodo’s administration and the House of Representatives (DPR) has succeeded in “reforming” the KPK. The KPK Law was revised. The status of KPK employees was changed to state civil servants (ASN). The independence of the KPK vanished after the anticorruption body was categorized as a part of the executive. The KPK has become toothless. Some big corruption cases, like the graft case involving Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle politician Harun Masiku, are not being followed up. The KPK leaders did not act to defend employees treated inappropriately, such as when chief investigator Novel Baswedan was attacked with acid.

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When the support from the KPK leadership vanishes, it is only normal that some employees who joined out of a sense of idealism quit the KPK to work elsewhere. If this trend cannot be managed properly, history may say, "We once had a KPK. However, the KPK is powerless." When that happens, corrupt officials will cheer up. Public trust in the KPK is at its lowest point. This is the success of propaganda that states that the KPK is controlled by certain groups, the KPK has a political agenda and that corruption eradication has hindered economic growth. The fact is, the will to eradicate corruption is fading.