Corruption Deterrence

ABK

Azyumardi Azra

It can safely be said that corruption is a major issue faced by the nation-state and government of Indonesia. After 20 years of democratization, which could have led to the establishment of good governance, there are no signs that corruption is disappearing.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

A Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officer holds up confiscated rupiah bills during a press briefing on Saturday (27/7/2019) at the KPK’s Jakarta headquarters. The KPK seized the cash during the arrest of Kudus Regent Muhammad Tamzil for allegedly accepting gifts for promising positions in the Kudus government in 2019. The KPK has also named an expert staff member of the Kudus regent, Agus Suranto, and acting secretary of the Kudus Finance and Asset Revenue Management Agency, Akhmad Sofyan, suspects in the same case.

This is highly alarming. The buying of official positions is becoming more rampant, both in the central and regional administrations (Kompas, 1/8/2019). Democratization and regional autonomy has not yet created corruption-free good governance.

This is not due to the lack of corruption eradication efforts. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was established in 2002. The KPK has always pushed through, despite the awkward situations of facing other law enforcement agencies that sporadically tackle corruption, such as the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office. In the past two or three years, the KPK has made many arrests.

The Borgen Project’s records show that corruption led to state losses of US$401.45 million in Indonesia in 2018. This was $55.4 million lower than in 2017, thanks to the KPK’s continuous efforts of arresting public officials and private sector workers.However, corruption perpetrators and those wishing to commit corruption remain undeterred. Improved salaries and government employees’ welfare system, through increased remuneration and performance allowances, have yet to reduce corruption. Corruption is truly motivated by greed, not by need because of low salaries.

Legal threats and punishments have yet to deter public officials or deter them from committing corruption. The most obvious example is Kudus, Central Java, Regent Muhammad Tamzil, who was arrested by the KPK on July 26. Tamzil was not afraid to commit corruption, even after his conditional release in December 2015 from a 22-month prison sentence. He had been found guilty of corruption relating to education infrastructure funds while serving as Kudus regent from 2003 to 2008. Political parties were also undeterred from supporting a former corruption convict as a regent candidate.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

A man with disabilities proudly shows his ink-covered finger after casting his vote in the 2019 election at polling station (TPS) 114 in West Cilandak subdistrict, Cilandak district, South Jakarta, Wednesday (17/4/2019). At this polling station, many people with disabilities executed their voting rights.

Tamzil’s case is a perfect lesson for law enforcers and the public: Prison sentences will not automatically deter corruption convicts from repeating their extraordinary crimes when they get the chance.

Short prison sentences are seemingly not a problem for corruption perpetrators. Often, former corruption convicts still flaunt their wealth in public. They try to look generous to “whitewash” their corruption by donations to religious or social institutions.

With this “generosity”, they – like in Tamzil’s case – may shamelessly seek to run again in political contestations for certain public seats. Voters also choose them without guilt. Look at how permissive they are.

Considering the continuously rampant nature of corruption, public officials must really be made afraid. They must be given the harshest sentences; not the controversial capital punishment but, perhaps, a life sentence will do it.

Included in this harsh sentence should be the confiscation of their wealth indicated to come from corrupt activities. Furthermore, they must be stripped of their political rights to run in elections for as long as possible.

Political parties must find and nurture candidates with integrity. If they really wanted to, they could do it. They just have to stop putting up financial burdens for politicians seeking to compete in elections. It is not even a secret anymore that candidates are required to pay “dowries” to political parties, which leads to rampant transactional politics.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Kudus Regent Muhammad Tamzil wears an orange corruption detainee jacket after being questioned at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office in Jakarta on Saturday (27/7/2019).The regent was named a suspect after the KPK caught him allegedly accepting gifts for promising positions in the Kudus government in 2019. The KPK has also named an expert staff member of the Kudus regent, Agus Suranto, and acting secretary of the Kudus Finance and Asset Revenue Management Agency, Akhmad Sofyan, suspects in the same case.

Corruption eradication will only be effective if people’s permissiveness toward candidates without good track records is eradicated.

Of equal importance is effective deterrence by ceasing all compromise and legal leniency toward corruption. The tendency for lighter sentences to be handed down in the last few years must be stopped and replaced with firmness and a “no mercy” attitude.

Lastly, there is a need for a coalition of those concerned about corruption eradication. They are the clean people in the government, law enforcement agencies, private sector, civil organizations and the public, who have the experiences to talk about corruption eradication.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

A voter enters his ballot at polling station (TPS) 71 in Cempaka Putih subdistrict, East Ciputat district, South Tangerang, Wednesday (24/4/2019). A repeat election was carried out at the polling station because two people from outside the area voted without the appropriate A5 forms during the April 17 election.

They have to improve their cooperation and strive to eradicate corruption at all levels of government. At the same time, they have to reinforce people’s opposition to corruption.

AZYUMARDI AZRA, Culture and Humanities professor, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University; member of AIPI