TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Smoke and mirrors raise threat of authoritarianism return
Change Size
Resistance: A Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) staff member carries flowers to be given to members of the public during a rally on the sidelines of a Car Free Day event at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta. She also holds a piece of paper with a message that highlights KPK employees’ opposition to a revision of the 2002 KPK Law, which they say will weaken the antigraft body. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
T
he government’s nod to the revision of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law and its pick of controversial KPK commissioner candidates have seriously undermined the credibility of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s commitment to corruption eradication.
President Jokowi’s endorsement of the revised law and the new KPK commissioners stands in contrast to his election campaign, in which he solemnly promised to strengthen the KPK. Following a wave of demonstrations against the KPK Law revision for more than a week, the President recently signaled he might issue a government regulation in lieu of law that will annul the amendment.
It is deeply ironic, however,that a president who received massive support from the activists who initiated the Reform Era in 1998 put the KPK, one of the most important bodies established in the spirit of reformasi in the aftermath of the fall of the authoritarian regime, on the brink of death. Previous attempts to weaken the KPK ended in failure because of massive and solid public support for the institution. How could the latest effort to undermine the KPK appear to succeed under Jokowi? The damage inflicted in this dangerous game will be worse than imagined.
President Jokowi and leaders in both the executive and legislative are deploying a game of smoke and mirrors by overwhelming the public with three equally important issues: the revision of the KPK Law, the selection of unsuitable commissioner candidates and the inclusion of controversial articles in the amended Criminal Code.
The game appears to be effective in making the public unsure as to exactly which of those different but equally important concerns they should prioritize.
Attempts to change its legal basis or leadership were, as a matter of fact, common strategies in previous attempts to undermine the KPK, but the maneuvers were carried out singly. This is why the public was not caught off guard and effectively staged waves of protest to prevent either of the shots from hitting the target. Now, beside those two issues, the public has to face another important matter, which is the amendment of the Criminal Code.
In carrying out the three stratagems simultaneously, timing and strategy are essential to the success of that new game. One of the most important aspects of the game is how to make the public feel better than nothing. This is particularly true of President Jokowi’s latest remarks on the Criminal Code revision. His call to postpone the move seems to be calming things down.
