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Reshuffle ‘likely’ as KPK grills ministers
The last five months of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s first term are expected to be a walk in the park as he is on course to secure a second one, according to vote count progress at the General Elections Commission
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span>The last five months of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s first term are expected to be a walk in the park as he is on course to secure a second one, according to vote count progress at the General Elections Commission.
But things may not be smooth sailing as the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) zeroes in on three Cabinet members that have been implicated in graft cases.
Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi has been probed by antigraft investigators for alleged bribery committed by National Sports Council secretary-general Ending Fuad Hamidy.
While remaining a witness in the case, the National Awakening Party (PKB) politician has been accused of accepting bribes given in an effort to disburse Rp 30 billion (US$2.11 million) of state funding for the Asian Games and Asian Paragames.
A third of the money was later alleged to have been given to high-ranking officials at the ministry.
During a hearing last week, Imam admitted that he used money from the ministry to go on umrah (minor haj) with his wife and close aides.
Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin was also implicated in a bribery case pertaining to botched job promotions at the ministry. Former United Development Party (PPP) chairman M. Romahurmuziy was also named a suspect in the case.
Suspicions regarding Lukman, also a PPP politician, became stronger after graft busters found and seized $40,000 from the minister’s office during a raid.
Investigators summoned Lukman on April 24 to be questioned as a witness in the case, but the minister failed to show up. He is scheduled for questioning next Wednesday.
The latest minister to be implicated in a graft case was Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, after graft suspect and Golkar Party lawmaker Bowo Sidik Pangarso told the KPK he had accepted S$191,500 (Rp 2 billion) from the minister.
The bribe was allegedly given to the NasDem Party politician, who at that time served as the chairman of House of Representatives Commission VI overseeing trade and industry, in connection to a 2017 trade ministerial regulation on the refined sugar trade.
The testimony reportedly led KPK investigators to raid on April 29 Enggartiasto’s office in the Trade Ministry building, where graft busters seized several documents on the refined sugar trade.
KPK spokesperson Febri Diansyah said the three ministers were examining the evidence that might lead to charges being pressed against the minister.
“If we find sufficient evidence to name other suspects, our investigators will study it first,” he said.
Febri said investigators would summon several witnesses against Bowo soon to verify the source of the alleged bribes and gratuities accepted by politicians that had been fired by Golkar after the case emerged. “We will summon [Enggartiasto] as a witness if necessary,” Febri said.
Lukman and Enggartiasto have denied the allegations.
Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said although Jokowi had not planned a reshuffle, the situation would change if the KPK pressed charges against the ministers.
He said Jokowi would make a decision similar to the case of former social affairs minister Idrus Marham. “[The President] will wait for the clear legal status [of the ministers] before making a decision,” said Moeldoko.
A Golkar politician, Idrus resigned from his ministerial position in August after being named a suspect in a graft case pertaining to a coal-fired power plant project in Riau. He was the first minister in Jokowi’s Cabinet named a suspect in a graft case.
Centre for Strategic and International Studies researcher Noory Okthariza said it might be better for Jokowi to reshuffle his cabinet immediately to deliver a message to the public and his political opponents that he had started work for his second term.
“It is also important to reduce uncertainty among ministers on whether they will keep their positions in the next term. This will prevent the ministers from acting strategically because of the uncertainty,” Noory said.
He acknowledged a reshuffle might create rifts among political parties in the ruling coalition, especially if a certain party lost its ministerial seat to others.
“This, however, might be inevitable. Jokowi needs to fulfill the political wishes of many parties in his second term, including the ones that might join the coalition after the official results of the elections are announced,” Noory said.
