TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Public Virtue Research Institute (PVRI) initiated a petition urging President Joko Widodo to remove the chief of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Firli Bahuri from his position. PVRI argued that that the anti-corruption commission has becoming even weaker under Firli's command.

“The quantity and quality of KPK's enforcement have decreased, [and] leaders let the conflict of interest occurred; this must be stopped. We urge the President to fire KPK chief,” said Yansen Dinata, the initiator of the petition who is also the spokesperson for PVRI, on Saturday, August 7.

Yansen said the rejection of the anti-graft agency towards Ombudsman's corrective act is the most recent evident, showing its anticritic manner. “This is new evident of the anticritic manner that has weakened the KPK led by Firli Bahuri.”

PVRI made the petition through www.change.org/pecatfirli. They hope the petition will reach Jokowi. “We're calling on all the citizens, everyone, wherever you are to voice this problem,” Yansen said.

Previously reported, the Corruption Eradication Commission rejected to conduct corrective measures conveyed by Ombudsman. KPK deputy chief Nurul Ghufron said there are 13 points that his institution objected to. Among others, according to the anti-graft agency, Ombudsman has no right to handle KPK internal issues such as employees. The agency also viewed that Ombudsman violated the constitution since the lawsuit of an internal regulation process of an agency is the authorities of Mahkamah Agung.

Read: Alleged Maladministration in TWK; ICW Urges Firli Bahuri to Step Down

M Rosseno Aji