Enemy of the State: Corruption!

ANTARA FOTO/SIGID KURNIAWAN

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chair Alexander Marwata (right) and KPK investigators present evidence on Thursday (25/10/2018) at its Jakarta headquarters. The commission confiscated Rp 385 million in cash and Rp 6.4 billion in bank deposit and transfer receipts in a sting operation against Cirebon Regent Sunjaya Purwadi Sastra, who was named a bribery suspect along with Cirebon Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency secretary Gatot Rachmanto. The two are suspected of allegedly selling administrative positions, projects and related permits.

The Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) arrest of the regent of Cirebon, West Java, Sunjaya Purwadisastra, reaffirms the idea that Indonesia is facing a corruption emergency.

Sunjaya was reelected as Cirebon regent in the 2018 regional election. He was arrested by the KPK for allegedly trading in administration posts and receiving bribes from local businessmen. Sunjaya is the 100th regent the KPK has arrested since its inception. This is deeply embarassing and alarming.

This series of arrests of regional heads can no longer be viewed as normal. This is an emergency! Corruption impoverishes others. Corruption insults our humanity. A radical measure is needed to eradicate regional heads that habitually abuse their positions for personal gain. Improving the electoral system may be costly, but it is necessary.

In the current system, candidates must raise large capital to win. Afterwards, the election winner becomes prone to using his or her power to ensure a “return of investment”. We must end this vicious cycle. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo himself has often called to eradicate all forms and cycles of corruption in Indonesia. The history of corruption in Indonesia goes back to the Dutch colonial era; the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) infamously collapsed as a result of corruption.

Soerabaia Tempo Doeloe (Surabaya in the Time Before) writer Dukut Imam Widodo wrote that Nicholas Engelhard, the governor of colonial Northeast Java, in his April 15, 1805 journal entry, acknowledged that he became extremely rich as a result of receiving moneys from locals in exchange for positions (Korupsi Mengorupsi Indonesia, 2009). How is Sunjaya any different?

Rimawan Pradiptyo’s research highlighted a series of Supreme Court (MA) rulings from 2001 to 2008 that showed that the state had incurred total losses of Rp 67.5 trillion (US$4.45 million) from corruption. However, the rulings only stipulated total restitutions of Rp 4.76 trillion, which means that the remaining Rp 62.76 trillion must be borne by the people through taxes. This is almost the same as the annual budget for the village funds program.

The KPK’s data shows that 474 of its 781 corruption cases are bribery. Therefore, we must focus on ending bribery: fix the system and severely punish both bribers and the receivers of bribes.

This daily has voiced its frustration over corruption many times. Here is a republished excerpt from the Kompas editorial of Sept. 14, 1965 – 53 years ago: “Talk is now raging again concerning economic thieves. We are again speaking of this, despite speaking of it numerous times before. What the people need right now is not ‘another talk’, but rather, concrete actions: arrest them, try them, punish them, hang them, shoot them!”

Should we really resort to these suggested solutions from 1965? Surely not in that way. However, we do need radical measures to end corruption before it damages the country irrevocably.