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Jokowi under pressure to intervene in KPK conflict
KPK leadership fires 51 employees for failing controversial civic test
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Senior Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan (right) walks after reporting the antigraft body leaders to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on May 24, 2021. The employees reported the KPK commisioners pertaining to the controversial civic knowledge test for employees as part of the mandatory transition to civil servant employment status. (Antara/M. Risyal Hidayat)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is under pressure to annul the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) decision to fire 51 of the 75 KPK employees who failed a highly controversial civics test.
The employees were required to take the internal test as part of their transition to civil service employment status.
“If we want this brouhaha to be over soon so that corruption eradication efforts can continue, that needs to happen,” KPK intercomission and agency network director Sujanarko told The Jakarta Post on Thursday when asked whether the President should reverse the antigraft body’s decision.
Sujanarko, who is among the 75 KPK employees who failed the civics test, said they refused to back down and had decided to bring the case to the Ombudsman and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
He questioned the National Civil Service Agency’s (BKN) decision to fail them, arguing that the test had been poorly executed and was methodologically flawed.
“This is not just about the 75 KPK employees,” he said, adding that it was possible that similar tactics could be used to weaken other state bodies.
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) called on the President to summon the KPK’s leadership and reprimand the BKN head for dismissing the 51 KPK employees, some of whom are senior investigators who have handled major cases, including the social aid graft case implicating former social affairs minister Juliari Batubara, who is also a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the President’s party.
