TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said that the revision of the law on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) initiated by the House of Representatives for the second time was an effort to weaken the anti-graft institution.
“It’s possible that the KPK law revision is an agenda of people who don’t like KPK’s efforts to eradicate corruption. Many people even think that the revision was proposed by corruptors or those who are potentially named as suspects by the KPK,” Emerson Yuntho, the head of legal and trial monitoring division at the Indonesia Corruption Watch in a press release on Wednesday, October 7, 2015.
The ICW highlighted at least 17 items in the draft revision that would weaken the KPK. First, Article 5 of the bill draft states that the KPK will be disbanded within 12 years. Emerson argued that the article was not only a sign of the end of the KPK, but also the country.
“The KPK was established as one of reformation mandates, and public expect a lot from the KPK. Disbanding the KPK through the revision would be a good sign for corruptors and the end of corruption eradication efforts,” Emerson added.
Second, the KPK law draft revision would remove the anti-graft commission’s authority to indict suspects and leave the institution with enforcement and investigation tasks. Emerson added that the revision would also remove KPK’s authority to conduct monitoring. The KPK would only be allowed to investigate corruption cases that cause at least Rp50 billion (US$3.5 million) in state losses. Any cases that cause state losses of less than Rp50 billion would be handed over to the National Police and Attorney’s Offices.
REZKI ALVIONITASARI