Savero Aristia Wienanto, Jakarta – A researcher from Transparency International Indonesia or TII Alvin Nicola believed that there was no serious and detailed discussion on corruption in Indonesia from running candidates during the presidential debate last Tuesday.
"No presidential candidate offered any strategy to promulgate the Asset Forfeiture Bill," he said in a written statement on Wednesday, Dec. 13.
Alvin mentioned that the three contesting candidates did not discuss money laundering and how to bolster the Corruption Eradication Commission or KPK's independence.
"Not to mention for the last five years money laundering cases have caused Rp26 thousands of trillion of state finance to be gone and return only 10 percent of it. Meaning, that there is a problem in the restitution process. And the Asset Forfeiture Law is not the right medicine to resolve it," he said.
Alvin said that Ganjar Pranowo offered a solution by proposing a revision of the KPK Law and strengthening the ethical standard for KPK heads. However, the presidential candidate failed to explain further if this strategy bears no success.
"Thus, a road map is needed to return KPK to its independence. For example, by launching a presidential decree," he noted.
In addition, Alvin saw the candidates to be superficial in their discussion without digging deeper into the problem. "Today's administration only sees corruption through a regulatory sector, although they should have understood that one of the main factors of corruption is politics," he said.
During the recent presidential debate, each candidate debated on the measures to give a deterrent effect to corruptors and save state assets.
Presidential candidate number three Ganjar Pranowo said, "Let's adopt the Asset Forfeiture Bill and for government officials involved in corruption bring them to Nusa Kambangan [prison] to give them a deterrent effect."
A similar notion was brought up by Anies Baswedan, presidential candidate number one. "Deterrent effect is given through the Asset Forfeiture Law. Revise the KPK Law to strengthen the agency. Implement a high standard for KPK heads," he said.
Meanwhile, presidential candidate number two Prabowo Subianto stated that corruption is an utmost betrayal to the country. "We must bolster KPK, i agree that corruption must be eradicated to its roots," he said.