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SBY's men have say on KPK saga
The inner circle of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose time as president saw two major confrontations between the National Police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), has urged President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo to take more decisive action in regard to the ongoing conflict between the two law enforcement bodies
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T
he inner circle of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose time as president saw two major confrontations between the National Police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), has urged President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo to take more decisive action in regard to the ongoing conflict between the two law enforcement bodies.
Former coordinating minister of political, legal and security affairs Marshal (ret.) Djoko Suyanto said the naming of KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjajanto as a suspect by the police could result in the latter's resignation from his position and impact on the KPK's efforts to tackle graft.
'With only three out of five KPK leaders still active, the commission's anticorruption efforts may stop,' Djoko Suyanto said on Saturday.
The 2002 KPK Law stipulates that the president can suspend a KPK leader if he or she is named a criminal suspect. Permanent dismissal is imposed after the suspect sits in court as a defendant.
'The President, who has the highest authority in the nation, must follow up on this, particularly given his high commitment to fighting corruption,' he said.
Djoko did not elaborate on what he thought Jokowi should do, but many suggest that Jokowi can use his power to halt investigations into the Bambang case, which KPK supporters claim to be 'vague and orchestrated.'
Bambang was arrested and named a suspect by the National Police's detective directorate on Friday for his alleged involvement in giving fake testimony when the Constittutional Court tried the West Kotawaringin election dispute in July, 2010.
The police granted bail to Bambang early on Saturday morning amid a public outcry condemning the police's move, which was considered 'retaliation' against the KPK's decision to name National Police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a bribery suspect.
Rachlan Nashidik, an executive with Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, echoed Djoko's opinion, saying Jokowi would share the blame for the intensifying crisis if he did not take action.
'The Democratic Party also calls on all stakeholders to refrain from taking counterproductive actions and give the President room to concentrate on resolving the problem,' he said.
'However, if Jokowi took improper action, the Democratic Party would side with the people in taking necessary action,' Rachlan added.
The first major confrontation between the police and the KPK occurred in 2009 when two of the antigraft body's leaders, Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra Martha Hamzah, were named bribery suspects by the police in cases that were never proven.
The move was said to be in retaliation for the KPK's arrest of a police general for trying to frame two KPK leaders. The standoff was described as a battle 'between gecko and crocodile' ' 'gecko' referring to the KPK and 'crocodile' to the police, a much older and larger institution but with far less public respect and support.
Yudhoyono used his power to prevent Bibit and Chandra from facing trial, and the two were then reinstated at the KPK.
The two law enforcement bodies were again involved in conflict in 2012 after the KPK declared Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo a bribery and money laundering suspect during his tenure as chief of the National Police's Traffic Corps.
The KPK's investigators were held by police officers when they raided the corps' headquarters to collect evidence.
Days later, dozens of police officers surrounded KPK headquarters in a failed attempt to arrest Novel Baswedan, the commission's chief investigator in Djoko Susilo's case.
Amid growing protests, Yudhoyono allowed the police to investigate parts of the alleged corruption at the traffic corps. He also lambasted the police's move to arrest Novel.
