Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Monday that the government would focus on four amendments to the 2002 Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law.

"The President wants the introduction of the 2002 KPK Law draft revision to be focused on four amendments because we believe that those four points are crucial in our efforts to strengthen the KPK,'€ he said on Monday.

The minister was referring to the decision of the government and the House of Representatives, which agreed to postpone the discussion of the KPK Law draft revision to give both parties more time to introduce the draft revision to the public. The decision was taken after a consultation meeting between President Jokowi and House leaders at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday.

The current draft revision to the KPK Law consists of four amendments that have been strongly criticized by the public. The four amendments would mandate the establishment of an oversight council to monitor the antigraft body'€™s performance, give the KPK the authority to issue investigation termination warrants in corruption cases, require the KPK to obtain permits to conduct wiretaps and remove the KPK'€™s ability to recruit its own investigators.

Luhut asserted that the government did not want to cripple the KPK's power in the fight against corruption by revising the law.

"This [the KPK Law revision] is clearly aimed at strengthening the role and authority of the commission," he said.

However, Luhut said, President Jokowi understood the public's concerns about the plan to revise the KPK Law. Therefore, the government would conduct a string of activities to introduce the draft revision to the public, together with the House.

"The President has asked me to talk with the law and human rights minister [Yasonna Laoly] and discuss the activities," Luhut told reporters.

"We will invite prominent figures who have opposed the KPK Law revision, such as university rectors. We will invite them and explain about the revision. We will ask for their input for the revision," he added.

Yasonna said it was crucial for the government to introduce the KPK Law draft revision to the public to avoid any misunderstandings related to the functions and roles of the anti-graft body in the revision.

"Currently, there are various strands of public opinion, including one that suspects that the House-proposed revision is aimed at weakening the KPK. So, we decided to postpone the discussion of the draft revision to give the government and its related parties more time to introduce and explain the draft revision to the public," he said, adding that there was no exact deadline for the socialization.

On Monday morning, KPK commissioners met Jokowi to persuade him to reject the revision of the KPK Law, following a joint statement issued by a forum of professors from various universities in Indonesia opposing the revision of the KPK Law.

The forum consists of prominent figures such as Sulistyowati Irianto and Hamdi Muluk, Rhenald Kasali from the University of Indonesia, Hariadi Kartodihardjo and Didik Suharjito from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Maria SW Sumardjono from the University of Gadjah Mada, Saldi Isra from the Andalas University, Firmanzah from Paramadina University, Todung Mulya Lubis from the University of Melbourne in Australia and Ahmad Syafii Maarif from Yogyakarta State University.

The professors said that the KPK Law revision was a wrong and unwise step, which contradicted the much-needed anticorruption spirit. The forum also urged Jokowi to remind all political parties in the government coalition to oppose the planned revision. (ebf)

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