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oordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan maintained on Thursday that the government and the House of Representatives had no intentions to drop their controversial plan to amend Law No. 20/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Luhut said that the recent decision made by the two sides was only to postpone the revision plan in view of strong protests from the KPK and antigraft activists.

He said that the government would start working on the planned amendment again next year.

'€œThe amendment of the KPK Law is postponed until the next sitting session, which is expected to take place next year,'€ Luhut told reporters at the KPK headquarters after attending the inauguration of his former expert staff member Insp. Gen. Heru Winarko, who is a former Lampung Police chief, as the KPK deputy for prosecution. Heru is the third police officer installed by the KPK to occupy an important post at the KPK this year.

The House continues to consider a plan to limit the tenure of the anti-graft body to another 12 years, in addition to other provisions that would diminish the KPK'€™s power and autonomy, including one that would allow graft investigations to be halted, which the KPK is currently prohibited from doing in order to avoid backroom deals between commissioners and officials.

The House also aims to prevent the KPK from prosecuting cases involving less than Rp 50 billion, with the AGO or National Police instead taking over such cases. Critics contend that the 17 articles in the revision plan, if passed, would weaken the KPK'€™s authority in curbing corruption.

However, Luhut said that President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo'€™s administration did not agree with all new articles proposed by the House on the plan, adding that the government would only focus on revising articles in four areas: investigation stoppage, wiretapping, supervision and recruitment.

'€œWe are still discussing the four aspects with the Supreme Court,'€ Luhut said.

Despite the fact that the current KPK Law prohibits any investigation stoppage to avoid trade-off practices between its commissioners and officials, Luhut said it was important to lift the ban because there were certain conditions in which the KPK should halt a graft investigation when a suspect being investigated died during the probe.

'€œConsideration for investigation stoppage should be based on human rights. Also, a monitoring team will be set up by the government, because there should not be an organization that goes unsupervised,'€ Luhut added.

Luhut also said that the oversight body could issue a warrant whether the KPK could wiretap potential graft suspects.

KPK deputy chairman Indriyanto Seno Adji has urged the government to forestall the amendment.

However, after meeting with Luhut on Thursday, KPK chairman Taufiequrachman Ruki, who decried the plan last week, said that the KPK would provide its input regarding the revision if the government insisted on pressing ahead with the plan.

Ruki said the input would ensure that the government would not revise articles in the KPK Law in a way that would weaken the KPK'€™s authority.

Meanwhile, Luhut praised the KPK for appointing his former aide to an important post at the KPK. '€œIt is good because it shows that he is trusted for the post,'€ Luhut said.

Luhut also emphasized that the government would go ahead with its controversial plan to issue a regulation that would grant pardons for financial crimes.

The KPK and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) earlier stated their rejection of the plan, which they claim would weaken the country'€™s fight against corruption.

Luhut defended the tax amnesty plan against criticism that it would give a privilege to tax offenders in the future, adding that it would only apply to '€œsuspects, not convicts'€.

'€œThose whose cases have been sent to prosecutors will not be eligible [to apply for a pardon],'€ Luhut said, adding that the plan, if implemented, would increase the country'€™s tax ratio from 11.9 to 14 percent. Luhut claimed that the tax amnesty could encourage tax offenders to return their assets parked abroad to Indonesia to help build the economy.