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KPK in hot water for requesting increased budget amid crisis
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he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has come under fire for requesting an additional Rp 825 billion (US$55.48 million) for its 2021 budget amid the COVID-19 pandemic to certify more graft-prevention agents.
House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs on Monday approved the proposal, which according to the agency’s chief Firli Bahuri would be used to increase the number of anticorruption counselors and integrity experts. It will then pass the proposal on to the House budget committee (Banggar).
Kurnia Ramadhana of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) questioned the urgency of the additional funds, saying the KPK's request was unacceptable as the country was now facing a difficult fiscal situation as a result of the pandemic.
The KPK, he said, also had not made any remarkable achievements under Firli's leadership.
“Having more agents is great, but the KPK doesn’t deserve a raise because it has not made any achievements, especially given this difficult situation. The KPK must evaluate itself and have a sense of crisis,” he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Firli on Monday at a hearing with Commission III said the additional amount requested was a meager figure compared to the Rp 90.5 trillion of state funds the agency had saved through graft prevention.
"I think asking for Rp 1.8 trillion is fair considering our accomplishments. We have secured more money than we were asked," Firli said.
However, Kurnia said the figure was not the only measure of the KPK's achievement, as it could also be assessed on its ability to catch big corruption fugitives and carry out internal monitoring.
The KPK initially requested Rp 1.88 trillion for its 2021 budget. However, the government agreed to allocate only Rp 1.05 trillion.
Anticorruption counselors and integrity experts are part of the KPK's program to promote anticorruption education and awareness under Firli's leadership following its recent focus on prevention over enforcement.
Firli argued the KPK needed more people in those positions to assist ministries and government agencies, as well as provincial, district and city administrations. The agency currently has 827 counselors and 28 experts.
“Corruption is caused by a lack of integrity. We are continuing to increase the number of integrity experts assigned to all ministries and institutions," he said.
Didik Mukriyanto of the Democratic Party demanded that the KPK come up with more achievements and firm actions against corruption given the increased budget, noting that the public was waiting for its achievements, and some still underestimating the agency.
"We now have Law No. 2/2020, which gives the government more authority in managing the state budget. The KPK cannot just watch and see. Don't defend the powerful ones because they are not always right. If they violate the law, please take firm actions."
United Development Party (PPP) lawmaker Arsul Sani expressed hope the additional funds could boost the KPK’s prevention efforts, adding that some regional leaders and bureaucrats wanted the KPK's assistance in executing major programs, such as the village funds program. Arsul added that the KPK should also utilize the funds to make significant progress in major unsolved cases.
