The Enemy Within

Posted by AsiaViews | Sep 7, 2017 | 0 |

Tempo Magazine

Sept 1, 2017

The Corruption Eradication Commission should not play down the actions of its members which can potentially undermine the agency`s independency. No matter how strongly it withstands external assaults, the commission will eventually crumble if it does not take seriously the elements eating away at the organization from within.

The alleged ‘tryst’ between a KPK personnel and graft suspects came to light at the height of its investigation into the electronic ID card (e-KTP) mega corruption which left Rp5.9 trillion in state losses. During a questioning, one of the witnesses, Miryam Haryani, expressed her surprise that her colleagues at the House of Representatives (DPR) were aware of the details of her interrogation schedule, supposedly a piece of confidential information. She suspected that a mole within the KPK had leaked the information. In addition, she also mentioned that seven investigators, including police Brig. Gen. Aris Budiman, KPK’s director of investigation, had a meeting with DPR’s legal commission members, which is forbidden.

Miryam’s allegations may prove untrue but should not be discounted. KPK should be lauded for launching an internal probe. Aris also offered himself to be questioned. A thorough investigation is crucial to find the guilty party and to determine if similar violation had occurred in other cases. It should be noted that the agency is currently under fire for its alleged improper investigation methods as DPR’s special committee continues to pursue the inquiry right, allegedly to curb the agency’s authority. Ethics violation by unscrupulous individuals within the KPK could further weaken its position.

The nation should be concerned. The agency, which should be a mighty and independent institution, has been infiltrated by more than a couple of people trying to derail investigations-particularly the e-KTP graft case. This suspicion makes sense as the case involves massive amounts of money and big names. It is not an implausible notion that those targeted by the KPK are now cooking up strategies-including an ‘illicit relation’ with investigators-to get off the hook.

Indications are there. The process of naming the speaker of parliament Setya Novanto as suspect, for example, looked suspicious from the start. Director of Investigation Aris Budiman was adamant that there was not enough evidence to charge Setya, although in the case hearing, the KPK leaders, the prosecution team and the investigators considered the evidence to be sufficient. Even after the hearing, Aris in his progress report still said Setya should not be a suspect. The KPK leaders had to intervene and had the report revised so as to name Setya as suspect.

Aris Budiman’s name also popped up during the uproar within the KPK when its senior investigator, Novel Baswedan, was slapped with a second warning letter. The sanction was handed down after Novel, in his capacity as chairman of the KPK employee union, protested against Aris’s recruitment of five senior police investigators to head investigation task forces.

Novel questioned Aris’s initiative for recruiting mid-level police officers, while KPK regulations stipulate that the positions should be filled by entry-level officers. Novel was worried that the move might upset the investigators’ independency. The protest earned Novel a warning letter, but the letter was later revoked following a public outcry after the news of his reprimand leaked.

KPK must resolve internal discords and clean up its house amid escalating onslaught from outside. It must reinforce itself, among others, by improving the recruitment process. Otherwise, internal contentions may prove more lethal than attacks from outside.

KPK’s reliance on the police force to supply investigators must stop. The practice of internal recruitment should be continued, or even intensified. Independent recruitment will enable the agency to instil an institutional culture, including the spirit of independence from crippling influence from outside.

In ‘managing’ investigators, the agency’s leaders should not hesitate to apply a ‘carrot and stick’ principle, by promoting performers and suspending errant officers. They should not let outside parties use rogue investigators to influence case investigations. Nor should they allow themselves to be cowered into inaction

About The Author

AsiaViews

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Neigborhood Watch

Subscribe To Newsletter

POINTS TO PONDER

EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

The Enemy Within