Lack of Narrative in Anticorruption Campaign

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Agus Rahardjo delivers a speech to mark World Anti-Corruption Day (Hakordia) at the KPK\'s Red and White Building, Jakarta, on Monday (9/12/2019). The anticorruption day commemoration was held with the theme "United Against Corruption to Realize an Advanced Indonesia".

The 2019 World Anticorruption Day commemoration lacked a narrative. Only a few media outlets raised the issues and danger of corruption.

This daily published an article with a huge headline of “Corruption Threatens Public Rights”, along with results of a Kompas R&D research and public opinion survey on the threats of corruption. Indopos daily wrote “Investigation Should Not be Dropped in Mega-Corruption Cases”, while Media Indonesia wrote “Commitment from All Required to Prevent Corruption”.

The Anticorruption Day commemoration on Monday (9/12/2019) lacked an all-encompassing narrative. On online media, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s absence from the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) Anticorruption Day commemoration was the news of the day. President Jokowi chose to attend an Anticorruption Day commemoration at SMK 57 state vocational high school, where several Cabinet ministers performed in a stage play. The President sent Vice President Ma’ruf Amin to attend the KPK event.

Of all the ministries, the Finance Ministry held the most notable commemoration. The ministry commemorated Anticorruption Day earlier, namely on Dec. 3. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani gave a substantial message to Taxation Directorate General employees in her speech. “Corruption is a real enemy and a threat that can destroy the country. We do not need external enemies. It is enemies from inside that ruin us,” Sri Mulyani said (Kompas, 7/12/2019).

This then led to the issuance of People’s Consultative Assembly’s Decree (TAP MPR) No. XI/MPR/1998 on a state organization that is clean and free from corruption, collusion and nepotism.

What the minister said is true. Corruption is the nation’s Public Enemy No. 1. History has taught us how massive corruption can bring down an entire government. In 1779, the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) had its name mockingly parodied to Vergaan Onder Corruptie (“perishing under corruption”). The company ended up collapsing as a result of massive corruption. Similarly, it was massive corruption that brought down the New Order regime. This then led to the issuance of People’s Consultative Assembly’s Decree (TAP MPR) No. XI/MPR/1998 on a state organization that is clean and free from corruption, collusion and nepotism.

The public hopes that President Jokowi, who famously said that he would have no political burden in his second term, to remain strongly committed to corruption eradication and the prevention of symptoms of collusion and nepotism. The public also hopes that the President has the commitment to fulfill his campaign promises as stipulated in the Nawacita document. In the document, it was written that, “We are committed to making regulations that support corruption eradication, an asset expropriation bill, cash transaction limitation bill and a mutual cooperation bill”. In another part of the document, it was written that, “We will support the KPK, on which the people pin their hopes, to remain independent.”

We are convinced that the nation is so much more than that.

The views of Amos Bronson Alcott, a teacher and educator, in the book KPK Berdiri untuk Negeri (KPK Standing Tall for the Nation, 2019) should be food for thought. Alcott wrote, “A government that only protects business interests is no more than a shell that will collapse by corruption itself.” We are convinced that the nation is so much more than that.