Editorial: Hardly a slip of the tongue

The general public knew that it was the same controversial person issuing controversial statements. Yet, their response was the same: They could not refrain from raising their eyebrows upon listening to the two latest statements by House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie over the hottest topic in the country: the anticorruption campaign.

Marzuki’s latest statements, calling on us to pardon corruption convicts if they return the loot they pillaged and to disband the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), were not only controversial in substance but also counterproductive to the country’s united front against entrenched graft, an epidemic that has put Indonesia among the most corrupt countries worldwide.

His first statement, which suggested the nation should pardon corruption convicts if they returned their ill-gotten assets, was contrary both to religious and legal principles, which recognize the granting of clemency to wrongdoers but only after they are held responsible for all their wrongdoings.

His second statement, which called on the government to evaluate whether the KPK should continue to spearhead the fight against graft, was considered anti-anticorruption as it would mean suggesting that the government terminate the service of the commission, which has to date been recognized as the perfect antidote to even the most rampant corruption, despite its flaws.

It is understandable if Marzuki, who is also deputy chief patron of the Democratic Party (PD), was disappointed with the KPK’s performance in relation to the allegations made by Muhammad Nazaruddin that the KPK’s deputy chairman Chandra M. Hamzah, enforcement deputy Ade Rahardja and spokesman Johan Budi had met and reportedly made a deal with the former Democratic Party treasurer, who is now a fugitive graft suspect.

It is correct to say that the KPK, as an ad hoc body, should not be maintained as a permanent law enforcement institution. But any requests to call it a day, at a time when the other two law enforcement institutions with prosecution authority – the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the National Police – are yet to perform sufficiently, will only jeopardize the country’s fight against corruption.

We should also not forget that the KPK was established in December 2003 amid the inability of the AGO and the police to prosecute extraordinary crimes, like corruption. And, until the AGO and the police can perform up to anticorruption standards, any idea of disbanding the KPK is ridiculous and may be categorized as antireform. The most appropriate measures to be taken against the KPK, in light of these allegations, are to conduct an immediate independent investigation into the scandal that implicates its officials; prosecute whoever may be involved; and replace those who are proven guilty. The ongoing selection for the KPK’s leadership should provide the perfect momentum to rid itself of the bad guys and net the most eligible, but accountable, candidates for the top posts in the anticorruption commission.

In addition to these necessary measures, it is perhaps also necessary to call for the imposition of “social and administrative sanctions” against high-ranking state officials, including House Speaker Marzuki, who has repeatedly uttered controversial statements that have not only contravened laws, regulations and existing norms, but have also created anxiety and political uproar in the country.

So frequently has Marzuki made such statements that it can no more be considered “a slip of the tongue”, but rather an indication of his character. And the most appropriate sanction for a notorious party member like him is perhaps for the party’s supreme authority to reprimand him, and even replace him, if his attitude is considered intolerable.