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KPK employees hit by stress over employment status uncertainty after suspension
Several Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) employees said the lack of clarity on their status within the commission had put them in doubt over whether they should carry on their work in fighting corruption.
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Employees of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) depart from their office on Aug. 12, 2019. The government has decided to change the status of KPK employees to civil servants despite criticisms that the status change would undermine the antigraft body’s independence. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
T
he Idul Fitri holiday season is usually a time for celebration for many Indonesian employees, marked with an annual bonus and, in pre-pandemic circumstances, a lengthy paid leave period.
But this was not the case for 75 Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) employees this year, who received a letter signed by the antigraft body’s chairman Firli Bahuri on their suspension from their duties and responsibilities within the commission, leaving their future with the commission hanging by a thread.
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post, was signed on May 7, but only sent to the employees on May 11, the last working day before the Idul Fitri collective leave period. In the letter, the employees were told to “hand over their duties and responsibilities to their direct superiors” and wait for further notice regarding their employment status.
The letter was sent to 75 employees who failed a civic knowledge test, which was part of a process to transition all KPK employees to civil servant status. The employee status transition is mandated by the revised KPK Law, which was passed after a quick deliberation at the House of Representatives in 2019.
Many criticized the test for some of its controversial questions that were deemed to discriminate against certain religious beliefs and ethnic groups.
Read also: Recent misconduct by own investigators puts KPK in spotlight
Tri Artining Putri, a KPK employee working in its public relations bureau, was among those who received the letter. She said the lack of clarity over her employment status had thrown her into doubt over whether she should carry on her work, especially as the letter did not specify how long the suspension would last.
