TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Acting Minister of Agriculture Arief Prasetyo Adi asked the ministry staff to sign an integrity pact (zero tolerance for integrity) after former Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo's corruption allegation. A number of high-ranking officials at the ministry were also probed and investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission or KPK.

"Let's recover our integrity and public trust. First, zero tolerance for integrity, and second, rising from the ashes. Let bygones be bygones and focus on our fresh start," Acting Minister Arief stated in an official statement in Jakarta, on Thursday, October 12, 2023.

Acting Minister Arief stressed that integrity is the soul and critical point in conducting the ministry's duty and function. Integrity, he said, is a parameter to measure the success of establishing public prosperity.

Currently, the minister is preparing a Quick Wins program to be held for 3 months. The program is an initiative to reform the bureaucracy, especially in regard to corruption, collusion, and nepotism eradication.

"As the Acting Minister of Agriculture, I was instructed by the President [Jokowi] to restore the state of the ministry until a definitive Minister is appointed," he said.

Additionally, Arief claimed to be optimistic that the integrity pact will advance the Ministry of Agriculture to become better while regaining public trust. "I believe that after this ordeal, the Ministry of Agriculture is dignified and prideful, able to become an example for other ministries," he said.

ANTARA

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