TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Habibie Center director board chairman Sofian Effendi said that socially, Indonesian people permissively responded to corruption cases committed by state officials. Thus, this act became one of the drivers on the rising number of corrupted regional heads.

Sofian touched on the Supreme Court (MA) verdict which granted a lawsuit filed by ex-corruptors against KPU Regulation (PKPU). The law regulated that graft convicts were prohibited to propose themselves as a legislative candidate. “That is a permissive act,” said Sofian during his speech as a keynote speaker in a national seminar on corruption acts in Le Meridien Hotel in Jakarta.

He recalled times he questioned MA officials regarding the verdict. “That is clearly contradictive to moral, they [ex-corruptors] must be blacklisted. But how come MA annul KPU regulation?” Sofyan said.

At that time, MA’s officials said the decision was based on the consideration on law and constitution. Sofyan disproved the statement. According to him, people have to consider ethics and moral above all regulations.

“But in our [country’s] system, ethics was kept under a written policy, while in fact, ethics and morals are generally a source of the legal. This system provides tolerance in corruption acts,” said the commission head of State Apparatus Civil.

In addition, Sofian continued, permissive behaviors on corruption issues were evident from light sentences issued by the court that ex-corruptors could still make use of their graft after being freed.

AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI