Worried about Corruption

· 3 minutes read

The worry on the part of corruption activists and a number of national figures about the future of the eradication of corruption is very understandable.

This nation seems to be at a crossroads. Will this nation remain committed to reform with a progressive approach to eradicating corruption by relying on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as the spearhead or be willing to make peace with corrupt practices?

Symptoms of a slowdown in the eradication of corruption have begun to appear from a number of indications. First is the inability to reveal the perpetrators behind the acid attack against KPK senior investigator Novel Baswedan. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo also seems not to have the full power to uncover the case, other than merely stalling by forming one team to another.

The second indicator is the recklessness of the House of Representatives (DPR), of course with the support of the government, in this case the Law and Human Rights Minister, to include corruption as a criminal offense in the Criminal Code bill. The threat of corruption imprisonment in the Criminal Code bill is lightened compared to in the Corruption Law.

The third indicator is at the paradigmatic level, as said by a DPR member from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Nasir Djamil, as quoted by Kompas, Aug. 31. Nasir said, "Corruption is a financial crime so the focus is on returning state money." If Nasir\'s paradigm is accepted by lawmakers, then a paradigmatic shift has taken place on corruption issues from extraordinary crime into a mere financial crime.

The fourth indicator is the formation of the KPK leadership candidates who will be proposed by the Selection Committee to President Jokowi on Monday. Criticism of the leadership candidates that were passed by the committee is natural because some of the candidates were controversial and could be considered to bring a certain agenda.

Just look at the opinion of a KPK leadership candidate who will not investigate corruption in the police or the attorney\'s office so as not to cause a commotion among institutions. This way of thinking is certainly not right. Eradicating corruption will certainly lead to conflicts between the KPK and individuals or institutions. Also take a look at the views of the candidate who considers the KPK\'s goal to be off the mark.

Political resistance against the KPK certainly cannot be separated from the tendency of the KPK to carry out a festivalization of corruption eradication and progressivity in eradicating corruption. KPK investigators are read as having political targets to build the legal construction of old corruption cases, at a time when there are several cases of corruption that are even left without attention and the ends are not clear.

It is at this stage that President Jokowi\'s commitment will be tested. Surrounded by a number of anticorruption activists near the President, we believe that President Jokowi is still committed to eradicating corruption. However, if the President makes a wrong step, fighting corruption will enter a period of darkness. And, if that happens, reform will move backward.

Editor:

naranasrullah

kpk kompascetak