Jakarta – Anti-graft watchdogs have called on the House of Representatives to drop its plan to amend the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law No. 30/2002, saying that the move is aimed at weakening the anti-graft body.
Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) activist Apung Widadi said it was obvious the House intended to systematically strip the KPK of its authority.
Apung said that in the draft of the amendment, the House proposed the scrapping of articles 51 and 52, which give authority to the KPK as the sole institution responsible for prosecuting corruption cases.
"The lawmakers are trying to turn the KPK into regular law enforcement agency akin to the National Police, with prosecutorial authority being handed over to the Attorney General's Office [AGO]," he said. The House has also sought to strip the KPK of its wiretapping privilege.
In the draft bill, the House proposes that the KPK should require approval from court judges to exercise this privilege.
It also plans to establish an independent oversight body for the KPK, allowing it to have a mechanism to issue warrants to cease investigations (SP3), a mechanism that is also used by the police and prosecutors.
KPK spokesman Johan Budi said that the plan to scrap the KPK's authority to prosecute graft cases would defeat the whole purpose of setting up an anti-graft body.
"The KPK is set up to handle extraordinary crimes. Turning the KPK into a regular law enforcement agency shows that corruption isn't considered an extraordinary crime anymore," Johan said over the weekend.
Johan also questioned the urgency of amending the KPK law because the anti-graft body considered that the law was as relevant as ever in the fight against graft.
Data from ICW shows that the Golkar Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN) have already given their approval to the draft, arguing that it would in fact strengthen the anti-graft body.
Four factions; the Democratic Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party and the Great Indonesian Movement (Gerindra) Party stand against the draft.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Awakening Party, and the People's Conscience Party are yet to make their stance on the planned amendment known.
Transparency International Indonesia legal analyst Reza Syawawi said that his organization was concerned with the plan to scrap the KPK's wiretapping authority, given its effectiveness in nabbing graft suspects.
"Many corruption cases begin through wiretapped conversations," he said.
Reza also said that by allowing the KPK to issue an SP3, the House would reduce the anti-graft body to a powerless institution.
Reza explained that the absence of SP3 had prompted the KPK to work extra hard to build a case which would likely bring conviction.
KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjajanto recently questioned whether the KPK would need an oversight body.
"The National Police have 420,000 personnel and the AGO has 23,000 employees, while the KPK has only around 700 people, he stated.
"Monitoring the performance of 700 employees is good but we need to ask if it is really urgent," he said. (cor)