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PDI-P bullish over KPK Law revision
Public enemy: Activists demonstrate their opposition to a planned revision of Law No
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Public enemy: Activists demonstrate their opposition to a planned revision of Law No. 30/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The draft revision of the 2002 KPK Law has drawn strong protests from civil society groups, who say that the revision will only weaken the antigraft body. (Tempo) (KPK). The draft revision of the 2002 KPK Law has drawn strong protests from civil society groups, who say that the revision will only weaken the antigraft body. (Tempo)
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span class="inline inline-center">Public enemy: Activists demonstrate their opposition to a planned revision of Law No. 30/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The draft revision of the 2002 KPK Law has drawn strong protests from civil society groups, who say that the revision will only weaken the antigraft body. (Tempo)
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) insisted on Tuesday that it would not alter a draft revision to Law No.30/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) despite vociferous opposition.
As the prime driver of the KPK Law revision, the party remains firmly in support of the plan.
'Where do we want this draft revision to lead?' asked PDI-P lawmaker Ichsan Soelistyo, representing House of Representatives members who supported the KPK Law revision, as quoted by kompas.com.
As reported earlier, the current KPK Law draft revision numbers four amendment points. First, it mandates the establishment of an oversight council to monitor the antigraft body's performance. Second, the KPK will be given the authority to issue investigation termination warrants for corruption cases. Third, any wiretapping conducted by the KPK will have to have a permit from the oversight council. Fourth, the KPK will not be allowed to recruit its own investigators.
Ichsan insisted there was no intention to weaken the KPK.
'The draft revision has not yet been discussed at the House. It's nonsense to talk about this weakening the KPK and so on and so forth,' he said.
Ichsan added that although it was unlikely for all initiators to change the current 2002 KPK Law draft revision, it was not impossible that the draft revision would see some changes or adjustments during the deliberation process at the House legislative body (Baleg).
The lawmaker asked all parties to be patient and wait for the deliberation process to begin before commenting.
'It's still a draft. It will be discussed first. We will hear input and discuss the draft bill at part of the deliberation process,' said Ichsan.
Earlier, experts warned President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and the PDI-P to be careful with the planned revision of the 2002 KPK Law. Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political expert Ikrar Nusa Bakti said the revision could weaken the commission, and in turn degrade public trust in both Jokowi and the PDI-P, with the party's current popularity, having emerged triumphant in 2014's legislative elections, at risk.
'If the KPK Law continues to be pushed, a perception of the PDI-P could emerge as the party that gave birth to, and killed, the KPK,' said Ikrar during a press conference to explain the results of a survey commissioned by pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia in Jakarta on Monday.
The KPK was established in 2002 by then president Megawati Soekarnoputri, who chairs the PDI-P.
Based on the pollster's survey results, public confidence level in political parties in Indonesia has continuously declined in the past year, dropping to 39.2 percent in January from 50.1 percent in the same month last year.
Indikator researcher Hendro Prasetyo said the decline was due to several factors, one of which was the planned KPK Law revision, which the public considered contrary to the ethos of corruption eradication. (ebf)(+)
