Nivell Rayda & Muninggar Sri Saraswati – After weeks of uncertainty, the Corruption Eradication Commission is officially without a leader after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday issued a decree honorably discharging the body's interim chairman, Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean.
"The state secretary's office sent the decree this morning. I am officially out of the KPK," Tumpak said, referring to the antigraft commission.
On March 10, seven out of nine factions on the House of Representatives' Commission III, which oversees legal and political affairs, voted to annul a government regulation in lieu of law, or perppu, issued by the president in October. Yudhoyono issued the perppu to fill the void at the antigraft body after three commissioners were suspended because they had been accused of crimes. The charges against two were later dropped.
Tumpak, a former state prosecutor, was appointed by Yudhoyono to temporarily replace then-chairman Antasari Azhar, who was later sentenced to 18 years in prison after being convicted of masterminding the murder of a businessman.
Tumpak was a KPK commissioner from 2003 to 2007. The KPK held a modest ceremony on Monday in honor of his departure.
The KPK's deputy for enforcement, Chandra M Hamzah, said there had been speculation that Tumpak sided with the president when Tumpak first took office as the body's chairman.
"We have never doubted Tumpak's professionalism and independence," Chandra said in his address. "Tumpak has made a very significant contribution to the KPK."
Bibit Samad Rianto, the KPK deputy for graft investigations and prosecutions, added that the remaining four KPK commissioners would fill the void left by Tumpak by serving alternately as chairman.
"We have done this before when Antasari was suspended from the KPK and the system worked just fine," he said. "The KPK will continue to perform its task and function to eradicate corruption in Indonesia."
Commission III is split over the necessary process to select Tumpak's permanent replacement. The ruling Democratic Party, along with its coalition partner the National Awakening Party (PKB), both reject the need for the government to form a selection team to find the replacement.
The two parties, which supported the perppu, say the selection process should not start until the term of the remaining four commissioners ends in late 2011.
The remaining seven parties at Commission III, however, are urging the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to form an 11-member selection team.
Meanwhile, Commission III member Bambang Soesatyo, of the Golkar Party, suggested that there would be less whispering that the KPK influences the agenda of the State Palace following Tumpak's departure. Bambang has said Susno would be strong candidate to replace Tumpak.