Ronna Nirmala – A delegation of prominent Indonesians visited the Corruption Eradication Commission on Friday to show support for the beleaguered organization, declaring they had "smelled a conspiracy to destroy the commission."
"Corruption is the main cause for the destruction of this nation, so we came here to tell the commission not to be easily provoked by corruptors," said Endriartono Sutarto, former chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces.
He joined a group of legal experts, economists and anticorruption activists to voice concerns over the handling of high-profile graft suspect Muhammad Nazaruddin, the former treasurer of the Democratic Party.
They raised their concerns after Nazaruddin publicly said he would no longer link the Democrats to his case, and asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that his wife be cleared of any charge. Nazaruddin told the media that party chairman Anas Urbaningrum and several other top officials had stolen money from various state projects.
Endriartono said the group was worried the case against Nazaruddin would replicate the Gayus Tambunan case, where several police officers mentioned in the initial investigation were eventually cleared.
"The public was disappointed by the handling of the Gayus case, so don't let the same happen to Nazaruddin," Endriartono said. "The KPK is the only law enforcement agency that can take decisive actions against corruptors."
Legal expert Todung Mulya Lubis said he was confident the KPK could handle the Nazaruddin case. "The KPK must not be afraid of uncovering the scandals in the case, which may implicate some other names," he said.
Todung said he understood why Nazaruddin retracted allegations against his party. "He feels his wife and children are under threat. It's only human," he said.
"Given the circumstance, Nazaruddin deserves protection under the Victim and Witness Protection Agency (LPSK), so that he has nothing to fear if he tells the truth," he said, adding that the KPK, not the president, should decide whether to continue the case.
Noted antigraft campaigner Danang Widoyoko said that lawmakers mentioned by Nazaruddin could trigger members of the House of Representatives to intervene.
"I can feel the fear of some House members when they heard that Nazaruddin came home," Danang said. "It's a big task for KPK to stay transparent and independent. But the public is behind KPK. It must not hide any information. If there is intervention, the [KPK] must report it to police."
Faisal Basri, an economist from the University of Indonesia, said the KPK needed to analyze why Nazaruddin went silent when he returned home.
"There must be deals occurring between Nazaruddin and other parties. The KPK must find out the scenario. Don't stop at Nazaruddin, investigate the other names," Faisal said.