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[INSIGHT] Death to the corrupt is not the answer, fighting the oligarchy is
How could a public official entrusted with helping those hit hardest by the pandemic have had the heart to steal from them? At least 56,000 more households could have benefitted from the billions he allegedly stashed away.
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Under arrest: Social Affairs Minister Juliari Batubara (center) emerges from Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) interrogation room after a questioning. KPK named Juliari a suspect in a bribery case on Dec. 6. (Tribunnews/Irwan Rismawan)
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t is hard to believe that Social Affairs Minister Juliari Batubara has been declared a graft suspect. The minister allegedly sought Rp 10,000 (68 US cents) for every staple food aid package – worth Rp 300,000 each – that was distributed to the needy between May and November.
To ensure that the 3 percent cut was paid, his staff assigned specific contractors – with which he had personal connections – to do the job. When the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) searched the minister’s house, they reportedly found suitcases of cash in rupiah and foreign currencies amounting to Rp 17 billion.
Many had warned of the risk of corruption in COVID-19 emergency measures, such as in aid disbursement and the procurement of equipment. This case, however, is not just surprising but disturbing. How could a public official entrusted with helping those hit hardest by the pandemic have had the heart to steal from them? At least 56,000 more households could have benefitted from the billions he allegedly stashed away.
The KPK, whose current leadership intends to focus more on prevention work than on high-profile sting operations, was forced to take action. This case was too unconscionable to ignore, particularly because the minister and his staff had received information about possible irregularities in the aid program.
In April, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) issued a circular to the national COVID-19 task force detailing what not to do in the procurement of goods and services during this pandemic. Unfortunately, of the Cabinet ministers, only Home Minister Tito Karnavian and Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto were specifically copied. The social affairs minister was not.
Clearly, circulars and appeals to the conscience are not enough to deter public officials from the temptations of the vast amount of money accessible to them. According to rational choice theory, corruption is the function of calculating, strategic, self-interested behavior.
Corruption is prone to happening in situations of power asymmetry, where some individuals hold power over others. Robert Klitgaard captures this dynamic nicely with his formula “C = M + D – A” or corruption equals monopoly plus discretion minus accountability.
