Corruption in the Midst of Coronavirus

KOMPAS/PRAYOGI DWI SULISTYO

The Corruption Eradication Commission led by KPK Deputy Chairman Nawawi Pomolango (center) held a press conference on the activities of the arrest of the East Kutai Regent, East Kalimantan, Ismunandar at the KPK Building, Jakarta, Friday (3/7/2020).

The arrest of East Kutai regent Ismunandar and his wife, East Kutai Legislative Council (DPRD) speaker Encek UR Firgasih, really hurt our conscience. In the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, there are leaders in the country who still have the heart to commit corruption.

Ismunandar and Encek were arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) at a hotel in Jakarta on Thursday (2/7/2020).

The KPK named them suspects in a bribery case relating to infrastructure projects, along with three heads of agencies in the East Kutai regency administration, namely Musyaffa (head of the Regional Revenue Agency), Suriansyah (head of the Regional Financial and Asset Management Agency) and Aswandini (head of the Public Works Agency). The suspects who allegedly gave the bribe money are Aditya Maharani and Deky Aryanto, both of them are the project developers.

Also read : Attorney General Promises to Catch Joko Tjandra

Ismunandar, in his capacity as a regent, was suspected of acting as a guarantor to make sure the budget for the developers was not slashed. Encek, in her capacity as DPRD speaker, allegedly intervened in determining the developers for the infrastructure projects. The heads of state agencies allegedly played the role of determining the project developers, accepting the bribe money and arranging the proportions of the project rations.

While sticking to the principle of presumption of innocence, if this legal fact is proven in court, we could see how perfect was corruption, collusion and nepotism involving the authorities, legislators and businessmen. This case is not merely an attempt by business players to bribe state officials for personal gains, but is collusion and nepotism between the executive and the legislative officials.

Also read : Improving the Integrity of the Police

ANTARA FOTO/INDRIANTO EKO SUWARSO

A woman with the initials MHN (center) arrives at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building in Jakarta to undergo an inspection, Friday (3/7/2020). MHN was suspected of being a bribe provider for East Kutai Regent Ismunandar, who was nabbed in a sting operation in a case of alleged corruption in the procurement of goods and services in the East Kutai regency government, East Kalimantan.

Robert Klitgaard\'s formula of corruption seems to be applied perfectly. C=M+D-A. Corruption occurs due to high-level centralized power (monopoly), coupled with enormous discretion in decision making (discretion) but minus the responsibility to the power provider (accountability). Anticorruption systems need to be built to prevent mistakes.

Corruption is even more ironic when it happens during an epidemic by which everyone is impacted. Leaders who should use all their resources, including self-sacrifice, instead try to seek personal gains. It is also suspected that this is related to the effort to win votes in the regional head elections (Pilkada) in December 2020. East Kutai is one of the 270 regions in the country that will hold elections. Ismunandar, the incumbent from the NasDem Party, plans to run in the elections.

Also read : Open Nurhadi’s Pandora Box

The concerns from many sides that the 2020 elections will distract the attention of the regional heads from handling the Covid-19 epidemic is indisputable. The regional leaders will be busy looking for strategies to defeat their political opponents, not focus on defeating the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The regional heads will be busy looking for funds for the campaign, not the total preparation of health services and overcoming the economic downturn. The regent and speaker of the East Kutai Regional Legislative Council as well as the heads of some agencies are now behind bars.

The December 2020 local elections need to be seriously evaluated. If local elections continue to be held, we must make sure that the KPK and the Election Supervisory Board do their jobs well. Voters must ensure that their votes go to the right candidates. A candidate who has strong empathy for the people will face the pandemic. They do not have the heart to commit corruption.