W

hile resisting attacks from the National Police on its commissioners, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is still getting no help from President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, who refuses to intervene in the attempts by the police to engineer legal cases against the agency'€™s leaders.

President Jokowi met with Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly, Attorney General HM Prasetyo and National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti on Saturday, but did not invite any representatives from the KPK to the discussions.


Your comments:

Hopefully the government will not undermine the work of the KPK because the agency has been very successful so far. Concerning the recruitment of KPK commissioners, let Abraham Samad choose his staff. The KPK should be free from intervention from party, including the ruling government or any parties backing the government. If Bambang is going to resign as a KPK commissioner due to being named a suspect, why shouldn'€™t Budi Gunawan give up his ambition to hold the top police post?

Every meeting or discussion concerning the KPK and its commissioners should have involved the KPK or the agency is being clandestinely weakened or even destroyed. I do not take sides, but as a citizen I personally support any efforts to create clean government.

Syarwan

All Indonesians are fed up with corruption. However, they all want, as simply as possible, to make money quickly; without risk and without having to work hard. The government of a country is only the mirror of its society.

Braem

I think he is a believer of the Javanese philosophy of alon alon asal kelakon (slowly but surely); he'€™s been listening to this group and that group of people, but did he listen to his inner voice when he made the decision to appoint Budi Gunawan?

Jaytee

A lot of commentators seem to be of the opinion that public opinion in favor of reform is absolute. But is it? Go out to the kampung and the outer islands and ask the same question and I fear that the answer from the great majority will be apathy.

I certainly agree that the public is fast losing trust in Jokowi and that the situation is going to blow up very soon; and that whichever way it does, the future of Indonesia hangs in the balance. Beware of Indonesian Military (TNI) generals coming in to '€œsupport'€ the KPK .

SBN

Jokowi was elected on the premise that he was cut from a different cloth and would rise above the fray of common politics. He was also elected on the promise that he would operate independent of entrenched interests '€” including those of his '€œfairy godmother'€.

Budi'€™s appointment shows the '€œDowager Empress'€ is still pulling the strings and that Jokowi is next to powerless in facing up to his own party and preventing, first, the nomination of the questionable Budi Gunawan; and second, getting the police to leave the KPK alone.

Jokowi was also elected, supposedly, on public support. If there is any truth to the rumor that Samad and Budi separately offered support in return for positions behind closed doors, then Jokowi is really just the same as the rest of the elite that shackles this country from fulfilling its potential. He has no independent power base within his inner circle. He might just be standing atop a house of cards, liable to fall apart.

Nguk Zilla

It'€™s a pretty sad state of affairs when, so soon after taking office, a newly elected president, elevated  on the promise of long overdue change, fails to truly demonstrate his promise of firm political leadership. Taking a hard stand against illegal Chinese fishing on the one hand and for the death penalty for narcotics smugglers on the other is one thing, but playing the fiddle while the nation burns internally and politically is quite another.

The President should get involved in this matter and ensure that it is properly and firmly resolved within the constitutional framework and that the proper work of these two national institutions gets back on their proper respective courses without any further delay.

Neither the National Police nor the KPK is above the law, nor interfere in it, and the same goes for whichever other politicians or agent provocateurs are behind this game of charades.

I don'€™t know about anyone else, but I would sure like to see President Jokowi exercise a bit more backbone. It concerns me greatly that he is fast losing the faith of the citizens who elected him and he needs to do something about addressing this fairly rapidly.

May Ling

Everybody wants everything quick and simple, for which they are prepared to pay any cost, so long as they don'€™t have to queue and aren'€™t inconvenienced. Corruption is in the blood of every Indonesian, so don'€™t point your finger at someone else ['€¦] It will take a whole generation or maybe even more to cure this illness. You will need two or maybe three people like Jokowi and an honest government too.

So give this man a space and a chance. He has so many difficult decisions to make every day, never mind resolving quarrels. I just wish journalists used their brains more and double-checked before printing a story so they don'€™t end up inciting readers.

Iyut

I am ready to take to the streets any time with my buddies ['€¦] we need to fight this before the TNI makes a move '€” once the soldiers are out from their barracks, it will be tough for the people to fight back, so we must move now!

Malam

Indonesians did not vote for Megawati and her cronies. Budi Gunawan might be Megawati'€™s best buddy, but he is also corrupt. If Jokowi sides with Megawati over the rule of law, he will be just another President, a man who talks like a reformer but in reality does nothing.

Lasem Benny

Indonesia, if you have any pride, you'€™ll start doing something to support the KPK.

HB MCcoy