Entering the month of May, the public will recall the 1998 reform movement that ended the 32-year-old New Order era.
One of the various characteristics of the reform movement was the spirit of anti-corruption against state officials. The public was fed up with widespread corruption practices in the New Order era. Through the struggle of the students and the people, the General Session of the People\'s Consultative Assembly (MPR) issued MPR Decree No. XI/MPR/1998 on clean governance free from corruption, collusion and nepotism.
The MPR Decree became the foundation for the birth of the Commission for the Examination of State Officials\' Wealth (KPKPN) and also the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The issue of corruption in the post-New Order era remains relevant. The spirit of anti-corruption must remain. Corruption also still exists at present.
The KPK includes an anti-corruption commission, which has survived for more than a decade. Similar commissions in the previous era lasted only a year at the most. The KPK has survived because of extraordinary support of the people. The corruption issue remains relevant in today’s political landscape. The MPR Decree confirms not only corruption, but also collusion and nepotism. This is rarely noticed. Both collusion and nepotism are also criminal acts. Even Article 4 of MPR Decree No. XI/MPR/1998mentions that, "Efforts to eradicate corruption, collusion and nepotism have to be applied strictly against anyone, both state officials, former state officials, families and cronies, private parties, and also conglomerates, including former President Soeharto, by paying attention to the principles of presumption of innocence and human rights."
The MPR Decree is still contextual. The public concentrates more on corruption. In reality, collusion and nepotism also require attention. In Law No. 28/1999 on state officials who are clean and free from corruption, collusion and nepotism–a derivative of MPR Decree No. XI/1998–nepotism is also mentioned. Nepotism is defined as "any unlawful act by state officials in favor of the interests of their families and/or cronies above the interests of the society, nation and state".
In addition to efforts to fortify the KPK against various maneuvers attempting to weaken the commission, President Joko Widodo needs to pay attention to the aspect of nepotism. The tendency of state officials to collude with families and groups to get “cookies” for infrastructure development or development projects needs to get attention. Moreover, if nepotism is done unlawfully, it bypasses the greater interests of society, the nation and the state. The practice of nepotism denies the spirit of reform.