Fadli Zon Expects Police`s Anti-Corruption Unit to be Independent
24 May 2017 21:02 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The House of Representatives’ Commission III overseeing legal affairs, human rights and security suggested the National Police form an anti-corruption special unit, or the Anti-Corruption Special Detachment (Densus Antikorupsi). The idea was mentioned during a work meeting with National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian yesterday, May 23.
House Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon said that the regulation on the Anti-Corruption Special Detachment should not overlap with that on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). In addition, Fadli expected that the Anti-Corruption Special Detachment would not be used as a political mean.
“We don’t want [the special unit] to be used as a political mean in the law enforcement and corruption eradication efforts. The unit must not be cherry picking. This happens a lot,” Fadli Zon said at the Senayan Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, May 24, 2017.
Fadli reminded that the KPK was established since police and prosecutor’s offices failed to perform optimally in eradicating corruptions. He added that police and prosecutor’s offices are vulnerable to political interventions.
The lawmaker from the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) party views that the idea to form an Anti-Corruption Special Detachment was not a new one.
“Since the idea was not realized by the National Police and the Prosecutor Office, the KPK was born,” Fadli Zon added.
He explained that the public remains confident that the KPK will do a good job in waging a war against corruption.
Back in 2013, former National Police Gen. Sutarman pitched a similar idea. According to Sutarman, the Anti-Corruption Special Detachment would be similar to the National Police’s Counter Terrorism Unit Special Detachment 88 which has been successful in eradicating terrorism in Indonesia.
AHMAD FAIZ
