P

oliticians at the House of Representatives have escalated their fight against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), with some working within an inquiry team set up to probe the commission’s performance, making a proposal for the anti-graft body to suspend its operation immediately.

In a statement that soon drew condemnation from antigraft activists, senior Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) member Henry Yosodiningrat, who also serves in the inquiry team, first came up with the proposal for the suspension of the KPK’s operation.

“We [need] to convince the government and the public that, based on our findings, we found indications that things needed to be corrected. One of our recommendations was suspending the KPK, if needed,” Henry told reporters.

Chairman of the House inquiry team and Golkar Party lawmaker Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa backed Henry’s proposal, saying it was one of several recommendations, which range from the KPK improving its internal procedure to the most severe proposal: the dissolution of the commission.

Agun said the recommendation was made following a deliberation within the inquiry team involving several parties, including legal experts.

“His [Henry’s] proposal may surprise those outside of the inquiry team who were not involved in the discussion. But for us, it was relevant because we discovered that the KPK turned out not to not be as good as how the public perceives it to be,” Agun said on Sunday.

The inquiry team, set up by the House on April 28, held its first meeting on June 30, soon after the KPK launched its probe into the multi-billion electronic identity card (e-ID) graft case, which involved scores of House lawmakers at the Commission II overseeing home affairs.

Golkar and the PDI-P, the two largest factions at the House and the biggest parties in the pro-government coalition, are the most outspoken factions pushing the agenda.

The House inquiry committee already had a long list of proposals on how the KPK should operate moving forward. One proposal calls for the government to exclude the antigraft body from the corruption eradication program, instead giving the authority to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the National Police.

Another proposal recommends a limit on how long investigators, especially those from the National Police and the AGO, can serve at the commission. The House proposed a cap of four years.

A proposal, however, can only be enacted through a revision to the 2002 KPK Law, which has been recommended by lawmakers in the inquiry team.

The proposals have been met with swift condemnation, including by PDI-P politicians.

“We are not in the position to dissolve the KPK,” PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto said over the weekend.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration would defend the existence of the anti-graft body.

“In fact, we want to make it stronger,” Kalla said on Saturday.

Kalla also said the government had been respecting the KPK’s independence by not interfering with its internal affairs and that he hoped the commission could soon settle its internal problem.

The KPK responded to the lawmakers’ latest move by insisting that it would not stop its work in prosecuting corruption in ongoing cases, especially the e-ID graft case, which caused Rp 2.3 trillion (US$ 174 million) in state losses.

“Don’t ever think such pressure and attacks will soften us in solving graft cases,” KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said on Sunday.

The House inquiry team is expected to submit its recommendation on the KPK to the government in a plenary session on Sept. 28, and President Jokowi will decide whether to accept the proposal.

Contacted separately, Attorney General HM Prasetyo rejected the House’s proposal for the AGO to take over the authority of the KPK, saying there was no overlap in the authority of the KPK and the AGO.

“The two institutions operate under two different regulations [...] so there are no overlapping authorities. In fact, we need to build synergy,” Prasetyo told reporters on Sunday.