The dominant parties in various corruption cases, including recent allegations of misappropriation of funds of the electronic identity (e-ID) card project that implicates politicians of several major political parties, are the government and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). From the SBY government as the executor of the e-ID card program to the Jokowi-Kalla government, which now has to clean up the mess of corruption.
Even though dealing with the fallout is the duty of the government and the KPK, we must not forget the role of political parties in the mega-corruption case. Moreover, the perpetrators of the mega-scandal are mostly from political parties. Because of the dominant role of political party members, eradicating corruption is not merely the responsibility of the government and the KPK, but also the duty of political parties.
Talking about corruption and corruptors in this country is undoubtedly talking about political parties. Many corruptors are concealed by political parties. The corruptors are only the twigs or perhaps the fruits of the trees of corruption: political parties. Therefore, political parties have to become the target in efforts to eradicate corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN). Why? Because political parties, although not all of them, frequently become "political companies or political businesses". Because they change into companies, their work formula takes on the character of a business: the calculation of profits and losses, sales, and so on.
As it has the business character, its consequence is not small. The elite of the political parties are considered to be the bosses. The political parties metamorphose into parties which depend on the bosses and become boss-centered parties. As a result, those born by the parties are white collar politicians; they are the ones who utilize the politics and political parties as job opportunities. The political parties are used as a place to source personal profits.
The problem is, when the politicians downgrade politics and political parties into a business, the issue of profit for individuals and groups automatically becomes a priority. From there, dirty practices emerge, such as corruption, which is the worst form of the competition of business and profits, both for individuals and the parties.
It is an unhealthy competition which downgrades public work into private work and a space of dedication into a space of business. The position of the politicians is no different from white collar workers even though they wear on their sleeves the vision and mission of political parties, which usually include democratic jargon, such as justice, welfare, and the goodness of the people.
The challenge for political parties and at the same time the stance which has to be taken, is a total institutional overhaul. The institutional reshuffle is the foundation for an overhaul and realignment of party members. The quality of members is determined institutionally by the quality of the parties. This is a simple formula towards taking a firm stance against corrupt members.
Corruption that involves party members constitutes the biggest disaster for related parties. Political parties will only worsen their own reputation if they act in a reactionary manner. It means, the presence of political parties tends to be as responders to charges of alleged corruption committed by their members. Worse still if the political parties defend individuals who have committed the extraordinary crime.
Strict sanctions
The public expects political parties to take an active position, meaning that they are encouraged to affirm the work of the government and law enforcers in purging corruption. The active position can be carried out in two ways. First, by external affirmation. In this case the political parties participate actively in the work of the government in settling corruption cases and prosecution of the corruptors. Second, by internal affirmation, where the political parties actively cleanse their members who are involved in corruption. If not so, the political parties will continue to fall into, to borrow the remarks made by George Washington in a farewell speech to the nation at the end of his term, the baneful effects of the spirit of party.
The destructive impact is in the form of blind obedience: right or wrong, the party members have to be defended. In fact, parties are a bridge connecting the people and the government, and as such are expected to meet the demands of the people, who are already frustrated by corrupt politicians stealing the people\'s money.
Therefore, the task for political parties now is to convince the people that corruptors do not represent them. The only way to succeed in this mission is for political parties to be courageous and willing to actively cooperate with the government to fully expose the corrupt behavior of their members. Only in that way will the existence of political parties be sustainable in the political arena.
Finally, what should be noted by the political parties is that their normal standard of quality will be measured by the number of their quality members, in terms of their intellect, mentality and characteristics. However, their extraordinary standard of quality is located in how seriously they clean themselves of political parasites, namely members who take advantage of the political parties as a place to reap personal benefits. The corruptors are parasites of the political parties, who force the leaves of overall political trees to fall and who utilize the political parties simply as cash cows.
The political parties are encouraged to continue to address their destructive behavior, such as what was said by Peter Merkl, that politics in its worst form is a struggle for power, position and wealth for their own sake. Therefore, parties are obliged to actively participate in cleaning up corruption by cracking down on problematic members.
EDUARDUS LEMANTO
Alumnus of Magister Program of Philosophy of STF Driyarkara
