M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Opposition is mounting against the government's plan to issue a decree reviving the authority of state oversight bodies to handle corruption cases involving officials.
Politicians at the House of Representatives balked at the proposal, saying that it would compromise the national antigraft drive and sideline the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
"The planned regulation should not have the intention of diminishing the role of KPK," House Speaker Agung Laksono said Wednesday. Agung said any efforts to fight graft by the government should not compromise the powers of the judiciary or the KPK.
Lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle said the planned the oversight bodies would only work to protect corrupt officials. "The reason KPK was set up in the first place is precisely because the internal oversight bodies had failed to do their job," Eva told The Jakarta Post.
The government recently said it would revive the functions of internal oversight bodies such as the Regional Oversight Body (Bawasda) and the inspectorate general in every ministry and the Financial and Development Oversight Agency (Bawasda) to handle corruption allegations and decide whether they should be investigated by the police or be handled internally.
Speaking after a meeting with Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh, Justice and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin, Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi and police officials, Home Minister M. Ma'ruf said the government was working on a presidential decree to implement the changes.
In the draft, oversight bodies will responsible for replying to reports of alleged corruption in government departments from the public. Vice President Jusuf Kalla said extra provisions to protect government officials would also be inserted as an amendment to the Law on State Administrations.
However, the decree's critics say it is another example of the government backtracking on its promise to fight graft by working to protect officials from corruption charges.
In a hearing with House Commission III on law and legislation Tuesday, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) called on the government not to undermine its role.
"We fully understand the government's concern about slander and blackmail. However, the solution should not be to revive the role of internal oversight bodies, but instead to improve the performance of existing law enforcers," KPK deputy chairman Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean said.