Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Former Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), M Busyro Muqoddas said that the issuance of the latest KPK leadership regulation that allows official travel to be financed by the committee is evidence of efforts to completely disable the KPK.
“This proves the process of perfecting the complete disabling of the KPK,” said Busyro when contacted CNNIndonesia.com by telephone, Sunday (8/8).
According to Busyro, from the first to the fourth term of the KPK leadership, there were no regulations that allowed official travel to be financed by the committee.
At that time, there was a Commission Regulation (Perkom) which prohibited official travel from being financed by the committee. The official trip will be financed from the KPK finances. KPK employees who were sent were also not allowed to be picked up and paid for their meals with money from the KPK.
“Even up to the lunch or dinner, the inviting institution, be it the government or the private sector,” said Busyro.
Busyro said the issuance of the Perkom was a form of the fragility of the KPK and would interfere with the independence of the anti-racism agency. In fact, according to Busyro, the issuance of the Perkom will create a feudal culture that was very thick during the New Order.
“Feudalism creates and becomes a source of corruption, collusion and nepotism,” said Busyro.
Busyro assessed that the issuance of the KPK Leadership Regulation (Perpim) Number 6 of 2021 could not be separated from other efforts to disable the KPK. The disabling of the KPK, said Busyro, was carried out institutionally. This was initiated by changing the KPK Law which made KPK employees become state civil servants (ASN).
“It’s still not enough, then political acrobatics are held with the TWK (national insight test),” he said.
KPK denies gratification
KPK spokesman Ali Fikri ensured that the official travel expenses of KPK leaders and employees that could be borne by other organizers were not a form of gratuity.
“The cost of official travel is the operational cost of activities, not gratuities or bribes,” said Ali in his official statement quoted on Monday (9/8).
Ali stated that KPK employees are still not allowed to receive honorariums if they are resource persons to carry out KPK duties.
Not only that, Ali also said a number of activities in the field of prosecution still use the KPK’s budget. This is intended to anticipate the emergence of conflicts of interest in the case handling process.
“KPK employees in carrying out their duties are still guided by the employee code of ethics with strict supervision by the Supervisory Board and Inspectorate to reject gratuities and avoid conflicts of interest,” said Ali.
In addition, Ali ensured that the KPK could also cover the travel expenses of related parties and vice versa. Travel costs for KPK leaders and employees, he said, will still be charged to the KPK budget if the organizing committee does not cover the costs.
“This rule does not apply to cooperation with the private sector,” Ali said.
Previously, the KPK had issued KPK Leadership Regulation Number 6 of 2021 concerning Official Travel within the Corruption Eradication Commission. The rules were signed on July 30, 2021.
In the regulation, it is stated that business trips in order to attend meetings, seminars and the like are borne by the organizing committee.
(iam/rzr/ain)
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