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House to drop KPK Law revision if Jokowi disapproves
Imminent demise: Activists pretend to build a corruption museum during a theatrical rally outside the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) complex in Jakarta, Thursday
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Imminent demise: Activists pretend to build a corruption museum during a theatrical rally outside the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) complex in Jakarta, Thursday. The activists protested legislatorsâ plans to amend a 2002 law that would weaken and eventually kill off the commission.(JP/Seto Wardhana) (KPK) complex in Jakarta, Thursday. The activists protested legislatorsâ plans to amend a 2002 law that would weaken and eventually kill off the commission.(JP/Seto Wardhana)
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span class="inline inline-center">Imminent demise: Activists pretend to build a corruption museum during a theatrical rally outside the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) complex in Jakarta, Thursday. The activists protested legislators' plans to amend a 2002 law that would weaken and eventually kill off the commission.(JP/Seto Wardhana)
The House of Representatives has backed away from its plan to revise Law No. 20/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) following mounting public protests.
House Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah said on Thursday that the House leaders would soon meet with President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo to confirm information circulating in the public that he opposed the legislative plan on the KPK, adding that if the President in fact said 'No' to it, then the House had no choice but to void the plan.
The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician lambasted Jokowi for his inconsistency on the KPK plan, which was initially voiced by the government but later 'withdrawn' after drawing the same condemnation in July.
After the government withdrew its amendment proposal, the House recently initiated a new move to revise the law.
'The confusion [over the amendment of the KPK Law] is due to lobbying by certain groups that scare the President,' Fahri said of the reason behind Jokowi's earlier rejection of the plan.
'We have written to the President to elaborate on the revision plan. We will not discuss it anymore if the President does not approve. But please keep in mind that a law will be approved with consensus from both the House and the government,' he added.
An online petition to reject the House's plan titled janganbunuhKPK (Don't kill the KPK), at change.org had received 15,363 signatures just hours after it was launched on Thursday evening.
The existing draft bill contains at least 17 stipulations that, if passed, would not only weaken the KPK's authority in curbing corruption but would also limit the lifetime of the antigraft institution to 12 years, in addition to other provisions that would diminish the KPK's power and autonomy.
House Deputy Speaker Agus Hermanto concurred with Fahri. 'If the government rejects the plan in the first place, then it should not become a law. So now we don't have to rush on the plan, because it is still in the form of ideas voiced by friends at the House,' said Agus of the Democratic Party.
In addition, the United Development Party (PPP), one of the supporters of the plan, reportedly claimed it had been unaware that the bill would weaken the KPK when giving its signature for approval, thus, it would soon withdraw its support.
KPK deputy chairman Indriyanto Seno Adji hoped that Jokowi would stick with his commitment to reject the plan after meeting with House leaders, adding that he was upbeat that the House would withdraw the plan soon after the meeting.
'I still believe that the bill will not be deliberated, because the President is consistent with his stance to reject the plan to revise the KPK Law,' Indriyanto told The Jakarta Post on Thursday, adding that the KPK had set up a legal plan to challenge the House if it insisted on passing the revision bill into law.
One of the legal options available to the KPK is to challenge the law at the Constitutional Court.
The KPK strongly rejects the plan, which it says lacks legal justification. It also said that limiting the antigraft body's operational time to 12 years would violate Article 2 of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Regulation No. VIII/2001, which mandated the KPK to crack down on past and future corruption cases without a time limit.
In addition, the House plan also seeks to grant the KPK the right to halt graft investigations despite the fact that the KPK is prohibited by its own law from doing so in order to avoid trade-off practices by its commissioners or officials.
It also instructs the KPK to keep its hands off graft cases worth less than Rp 50 billion (US$3.5 million) as Article 13 of the bill requires it to hand such cases over to the National Police or the Attorney General's Office.
Protests against the House plan continued on Thursday with antigraft activists staging a satirical play in front of the KPK headquarters. Two activists dressed as graft suspect detainees brought with them cement and bricks to build a 'KPK museum'. They said the bill would put an end to the KPK, which would soon become a 'museum'.
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