The red-handed arrests by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) of auditors of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) and an inspector general proves that corruption is still rampant.
Indeed there is jargon of total reform and mental reform, which has been aired by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, but the jargon remains jargon, which does not change behavior. Indeed there has been a clean sweep team against bribery chaired by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto, but bribery continue to happen. The bribe this time took place in the environment of state officials.
The nation has no shortage of rules to prevent corruption. There are decrees issued by the People\'s Consultative Assembly (MPR), there is a stack of corruption laws, there are presidential instructions, there is an oath of position, but corruption still exists in everyday life. There is a state institution in charge of supervising state financing such as the BPK, there are the inspectorate generals at the ministries that function to prevent abuses, but this time it is themselves who become the main actors.
This is not the first time BPK auditors have been arrested on allegations of trading WTP opinion. The prices of WTP range from hundreds of millions of rupiah to billions of rupiah, which is used to enrich the BPK auditors. On the other hand, the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration is encouraged to get the WTP opinion as a "sign" that the ministry is clean. In fact, the WTP certificate is not a guarantee the ministry is free from corruption.
The BPK is not a certification institution, let alone able to sell or buy certificates. The BPK is a state institution with the mandate from the constitution to examine the management of state finances. What was done by BPK\'s chief auditors Rochmadi Saptogiri and Ali Sadli, as well as the inspector general of the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Region Development and Transmigration, Sugito, and his staff, Jarot Budi, to create collusion to get the WTP opinion is a disappointing and embarrassing act.
We trust the KPK to thoroughly disclose anyone involved in the corruption case in the purchase of the WTP opinion. For BPK, this is a chance to improve itself by preventing the trade of the WTP opinion from happening again. According to the Indonesia Corruption Watch, in the 2005-2017 period there have been six cases involving 23 auditors/BPK staff. Out of the 23 names, five have been sent to jail, 14 have got internal sanctions, and four are still being processed by KPK. New commitments must be built.
We urge President Jokowi not to be too proud of the financial statements of the ministries with the WTP opinion from BPK if the process of obtaining the WTP opinion is carried out in a dishonorable way.