Corruption is Disgusting!

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Officers escort the mayor of Medan, North Sumatra, Dzulmi Eldin, to undergo an interrogation at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building in Kuningan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (16/10/2019). The KPK arrested Dzulmi Eldin in a sting operation for allegedly receiving deposit money from a number of offices in Medan.

The main story in this daily on Wednesday, 16 October 2019, had the headline, "Regional Heads Have Not Changed". Regents and state officials were arrested for corruption.

The news quoted a Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) press statement regarding the arrest of the regent of Indramayu, West Java, Supendi, for his alleged involvement in a bribery case in connection with road construction projects in Indramayu. Supendi has only been in office for eight months and has become the 121th regional head to be named a suspect since 2004. In 2019, Supendi became the eighth regional head to be arrested by the KPK. Besides in Indramayu, officials of the Public Works and Housing Ministry were also arrested in East Kalimantan.

When discussion on Supendi\'s case had not yet been completed, on Wednesday, 16 October 2019, the public was again shocked by the arrest of Medan Mayor Dzulmi Eldin. The series of arrests is both upsetting and disgusting. However, the interpretation of that fact could be different.

There is a narration that states, the number of regional heads captured by the KPK is not a measure of the success of the KPK. The measure of success in eradicating corruption in Indonesia is precisely if there are no more state officials arrested. The creator of this narrative wants to say, if there are no more officials arrested by the KPK, it means that there is no more corruption in Indonesia. The arrest of a number of state officials is also theorized to hamper the investment climate in Indonesia. However, there are also other narratives, which are built on the contrary.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

An anticorruption poster is displayed in the Indramayu Hall, West Java, on Tuesday (15/10/2019). Previously, from Monday evening until early Tuesday, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested the regent of Indramayu, Supendi, at his family\'s home in Bongas district. Later, Supendi was named a suspect in a case involving alleged bribery in some projects together with a number of officials, including the head of the Public Works and Housing Agency of Indramayu, Omarsyah, and the head of the agency’s road unit, Wempy Triyono.

The elite of this nation are actually sick. There is a narrative war on combating corruption. There is a desire to moderate the eradication of corruption. There are groups who are serious about eradicating corruption at its roots, but there are also groups that want to change direction by promoting preventative measures. This group is mentioned by Vishnu Juwono in his book Fighting Against Corruption as a conservative and oligarchic group living on a corrupt economy.

Seeing the reality, we must come to the conclusion that corruption is a serious threat to this republic. But it is not clear for the political elite. The division between the elite and the masses, political parties and the masses, the issue of the eradication of corruption is what we feel now. On Thursday, 17 October 2019, the revised KPK Law applies. Whether it is signed or not by President Joko Widodo, the Constitution says, 30 days after it is passed, the law will apply.

ANTARA FOTO/NOVA WAHYUDI

A contractor who is suspected of bribing the regent of Indramayu, Carsa (wearing detention vest), walks out after being questioned at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building, Jakarta, on Wednesday (16/10/2019). The KPK named Indramayu Regent Supendi and three other people – Carsa, the head of the Public Works and Housing Agency of Indramayu, Omarsyah, and the head of the agency’s road unit, Wempy Triyono, suspects in a case of alleged bribery involving some projects.

With the enactment of the revised KPK Law, it is difficult for the KPK to make any arrests in stings. Red-handed operations always begin with wiretapping. But now the wiretapping must obtain written permission from the supervisory board. The board\'s permission will only be issued after a preliminary hearing is held. Something that hard to do. Before the supervisory board is formed, the KPK could still work according to the old law.

This is the situation now. There is an alienation of the aspirations of the elite and the masses. We quote the statement of Costa Rican Nobel laureate Oscar Arias Sanchez, which is still relevant. "Prolonged corruption scandals frustrate the people. Resistance emerges in a number of countries. Political parties which are the main strongholds of democracy are being rocked by corruption. When political parties are abandoned, democracy will be paralyzed." Hopefully not.

KOMPAS/SHARON PATRICIA

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) displays Rp 685 million in cash in Jakarta on Tuesday (10/15/2019). The money and bicycles were confiscated as evidence during the arrest of Indramayu Regent Supendi, who has been named a suspect by the KPK in a case involving alleged bribery.