Corruption in the country’s regions is like a tangled thread that is difficult to unravel. It takes strong political commitment to carry out all the recommendations to eradicate it.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
·3 minutes read
KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN (HAS)
Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security (Polhukam) Mahfud MD (center) accompanied by Kompas General Leader Lilik Oetama (five from left) posing for a photo with the mayor and deputy mayor who attended the Kompas Collaboration Forum discussion with the theme Good Governance and Learning Anti-Corruption Efforts, in Kompas Tower, Jakarta, Tuesday (7/3/2023).
Kompas stated on Monday (13/3/2023) that four steps were necessary to eradicate corruption in the regions, namely strict regulation, digitalization, education, and remuneration. These four steps were raised during the Kompas Collaboration Forum-City Leader Community discussion last week at Kompas Tower in Jakarta.
From the several cases that have been revealed, the pattern of corruption in the regions remains relatively unchanged. It generally occurs in the auction of goods and services, the auction of job positions, and the issuance of permits.
So far, a number of efforts have been taken to stop corruption in these three areas. Digitalization, for example, has been carried out in many regions in the procurement of goods and services. The open bidding method has been used to fill positions. Licensing also has been tightened. Performance allowances have been introduced for a number of positions. However, there are indications that loopholes have always been sought in a number of efforts to deal with corruption. Corruption continues.
During a number of corruption trials, it was revealed that corruption was caused by administrative issues, or that there was no initial intention of committing corruption. However, the majority of corruption cases are triggered by economical and political issues. Collecting money to prepare for the regional elections or paying the debt incurred during previous elections is often revealed in court as the cause of corruption. Policies in the regions are often changed to win the regional elections, not just for the welfare of the people.
A 2015 research and development study by the Home Ministry showed that in order to win a regional election, candidates requires a lot of money. To take part in the elections for regent or mayor requires between Rp 20 billion and Rp 30 billion. Meanwhile, the gubernatorial election could cost between Rp 20 billion and Rp 100 billion. This is far larger than the average salary for a regional head, which is around Rp 5 billion for one term.
Due to the high cost of politics, around 84 percent of regional heads received financial support from investors to run the for regional elections, according to the findings of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in 2020. (Kompas, 13/3/2023).
However, abolishing the direct regional elections to stop the corruption will be going too far. This is because the direct local elections also have a positive impact, such as by promoting quality regional heads that can contribute to the regeneration of the national leadership.
The current challenge is how to make the direct elections be more optimal and have a positive impact. The negative impacts, such the rise in corruption in the regions, can be suppressed.
For this reason, not only technical-administrative efforts are needed, such as building a system that is more immune from corruption. More important is to build the political commitment to follow and maintain the system. As long as politics and power in this country are still mainly seen as fields for amassing material gain, extra effort will be needed to build that commitment. But we must never lose hope.
This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.
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