T

he House of Representatives has been forced to cancel a crucial first meeting to deliberate a rough draft of the 2002 Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law revision, after the antigraft body'€™s commissioners failed to show up for the session on Thursday.

For the meeting, the KPK only sent its spokesperson Yuyuk Andriati, its information department deputy Hary Budiarto, legal department head Setiadi and members of its legal team Nur Chusniah and Anatomi.

Soon after the afternoon session kicked off, Golkar lawmaker Firman Soebagyo called for the meeting to be adjourned due to the absence of KPK leaders.

Firman'€™s call was met by protest from Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Hendrawan Supratikno, who urged the chairman to allow the KPK officials to give an explanation regarding their commissioners'€™ absence.

'€œThis is an important meeting [for KPK commissioners to miss]. We don'€™t need to occupy ourselves with any further explanation '€” the meeting should be called off so we can continue with the next step of meeting antigraft experts on Tuesday,'€ Firman said.

Chairman of the session, lawmaker Totok Daryanto of National Mandate Party (PAN), proceeded to ask the KPK to submit a written statement to the House legislative body (Baleg) regarding the no-show.

'€œWith the submission of the written response, this meeting is adjourned,'€ Totok said, ending the session. '€œThis meeting is cancelled not because we don'€™t want to listen to what the KPK has to say. We just want to have an open discussion.'€

The KPK Law revision has been a point of contention between legislators and the government for the past few years. Following months of a back-and-forth, the House finally included the bill in this year'€™s Priority Legislation Program (Prolegnas).

Last year, in spite of the potential that the amendment could weaken the KPK, then acting KPK chairman Taufiqurrahman Ruki gave the green light for legislators to amend the KPK Law, which would allow for the curtailing for the agency'€™s authority.

KPK spokesperson Yuyuk said leaders of the KPK declined to attend the meeting as a protest against the revision plan.

She said that KPK leaders argued that current provisions were still a suitable backing for the antigraft body'€™s operations. '€œThe KPK leaders did not attend the meeting for a number of reasons, so today we are here to submit a letter to the Baleg chairman underlining our rejection of the KPK Law revision,'€ Yuyuk told reporters after the meeting at the House compound in Central Jakarta.

Yuyuk said the antigraft body had yet to report to President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo regarding their stance on the KPK Law revision, although it was not the first time it had voiced its opinion on the issue.

She said however that KPK commissioners could still attend future meetings with the House.

In the letter addressed to lawmakers, KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo urged both the House and the government to prioritize the deliberation and drafting of other laws related to corruption eradication, including the consolidation of articles in Law No. 31/1999 on graft crimes.

Agus also urged legislators to prepare the draft bill for assets confiscation as an implementation of Indonesia'€™s commitment to ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), and consolidate the draft for revising the Criminal Code (KUHP) and the Criminal Code Procedures (KUHAP).

Separately, the Presidential Palace reiterated its stance on Thursday on the controversial plan to revise the KPK law, with President Jokowi remaining consistent in his support of the KPK in its anticorruption campaign.
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