Spirit of Reform Fades away

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Anticorruption activists and employees of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) hold a #SaveKPK rally at the KPK building, Jakarta, Sunday (8/9/2019). The activists, along with KPK staff, covered up KPK logos and other insignia to symbolize a deliberate effort to weaken the country’s anticorruption body through a plan to revise the KPK Law and problematic candidates who had been shortlisted as KPK commissioners.

The compliance of state administrators, especially legislators, in reporting their wealth remains low. The rule of law has often been ignored.

Wealth reports are regarded as a formality. Many state administrators are dishonest in reporting their wealth. Many of their assets are not reported.

According to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy for prevention and monitoring, Pahala Nainggolan, from 2018 to 2020, the KPK examined the wealth reports of 1,065 state administrators. The results showed that 95 percent of the reports were inaccurate. Based on the level of compliance, legislators had the lowest compliance compared with other state administrators. Of the 575 members of the House of Representatives, 239 had not reported their wealth.

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Reporting on the wealth of state administrators and the eradication of corruption are at the core of Reform. The student movement in May 1998 demanded trials for corrupt officials who stole public money. The Reform movement urged state administrators to declare their wealth before, during and after taking office. At that time, the Commission for Examination of the Wealth of State Administrators (KPKPN) was formed, which was later merged into the KPK.

The spirit of Reform is now fading away. State administrators, especially members of the House, feel no shame. Legislators, who make the law, have acted against the law by not reporting their wealth. As an institution, the House seems to be ignorant. Leaders of political parties are permissive. Wealth reporting law is weak. There are obligations, but no sanctions.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Activists and volunteers join the 602nd Kamisan protest in front of Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, (19/9/2019). Besides calling on the government to settle past cases of human rights abuse, they also criticized the government and the House of Representatives over the revision of the Corruption Eradication Law and called for the postponement of the planned revision of the Criminal Code, arguing that the bill contained several controversial stipulations that threaten the freedom of speech.

The KPK, which took over the wealth-inspection commission, is busy with its own problems. The credibility of the KPK has been undermined after one of its commissioners was caught violating ethics. The KPK, which was once so powerful, is no longer fully respected. The KPK is now in a difficult situation because there is a problem with that commissioner. It is difficult for the KPK to urge state administrators to report their wealth when one of its own commissioners has lost legitimacy.

This disgraceful behavior confirms the view that corruption is a comorbidity of this nation.

The arrest of the regent of Probolinggo and her husband for allegedly purloining administrative posts, the arrest of the regent of Banjarnegara for allegedly receiving a project commission and the reluctance of state administrators to report their wealth further distance the nation from the goal of its independence. This disgraceful behavior confirms the view that corruption is a comorbidity of this nation. It is deeply concerning.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

A Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officer (second right), accompanied by KPU chairman Arief Budiman (left), commissioner Lili Pintauli Siregar (second left) and spokesman Ali Fikri, shows evidence from the arrest of KPU commissioner Wahyu Setiawan for alleged bribes related to the replacement of a House of Representatives member for 2019-2024 term at the KPK Building in Jakarta, Thursday (9/1/2020).

Does anyone care? We hope that President Joko Widodo will take radical steps. A number of measures can be taken, such as by declaring the nation is in a state of emergency as a result of corruption, and by issuing a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to allow the state to seize the unreported assets of the state administrators, requiring a reverse burden proof on the ownership of state administrators\' assets, and issuing a Perppu on the Asset Confiscation Law to seize illegal assets resulting from corruption. Shock therapy in the form of the issuance of such a Perppu is needed to test the anticorruption commitment of the current political coalition.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).