Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – The nation's antigraft campaign is now in jeopardy with a rift in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) getting worse and more apparent.
Former KPK deputy chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas said the controversy over a leaked document naming Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum a graft suspect was merely the tip of an iceberg of problems that plagued the leadership of the commission.
"If the media has seized the opportunity to report on this minor administrative error, this means that there is a major problem. This simple matter has grown into a crisis simply because of a leadership problem," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Erry, who served in the first batch of KPK commissioners between 2004 and 2008, said that the leadership problem could harm the KPK in the future. "This could affect the morale [of KPK officials] and lead to outside intervention," he said.
Erry said the root of the problem was that the current batch of KPK commissioners "did not understand the meaning of collegial and collective leadership". "Collective leadership can only function if all commissioners know the boundaries between what is possible and what is not," he added.
Erry was commenting on the reputed falling out among KPK commissioners especially over the Hambalang sports complex graft case that has implicated Anas.
The rift became apparent after commissioners made contradictory statements on a document that named Anas a graft suspect. The document was leaked to the press the day before President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the party's patron, took over control of the party from Anas.
Only three KPK commissioners, chairman Abraham Samad and commissioners Adnan Pandu Praja and Zulkarnain put their signatures to the document, while the columns for commissioners Bambang Widjojanto and Busyro Muqoddas were left blank.
Speculation has been rife that Busyro was reluctant to sign the document given his ties to the Association of Islamic Students (HMI), of which Anas served as chairman between 1997 and 1999. Bambang, meanwhile, is regarded as a cautious commissioner who wants the KPK to build a stronger case against Anas before naming him a suspect.
The day after the KPK set up an investigation into the leak, Adnan staged a press conference to state that he had withdrawn his signature after learning that the KPK had not in fact held a case presentation attended by all commissioners, as required.
A source within the KPK said there had been a case presentation last Thursday but with only three commissioners present: Abraham, Adnan and Zulkarnain. Bambang said last week that the presentation would take place earlier this week.
Erry said the draft did not have to be signed by all commissioners, but must at least be distributed among them. He dismissed allegations that KPK commissioners had used the Anas case as a political bargaining chip.
"Even if some of the commissioners have political motives, the KPK internal system prevents them from cherry-picking cases. I believe that they're still abiding by the rules."
This is not the first time that KPK commissioners have engaged in a high-profile rift. Last year there was internal leadership bickering on how commissioners should deal with a graft case involving Democratic Party lawmaker Angelina Sondakh.
Abraham was accused of bypassing other commissioners by prematurely naming Angelina a graft suspect when investigators had barely completed their dossiers on the former beauty queen.
Bambang said that the speculation about rifts within the KPK would be treated as a criticism of the performance of the anti-graft body.
"At this moment, it is better for the KPK to concentrate systematically on strategic jobs, so that our corruption eradication efforts will have a positive impact on the public."