KPK Willing To Wait For The Supervisory Board To Be Formed By Jokowi

JAKARTA - After inaugurating five new leaders of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), on 21 December. President Joko Widodo will also soon announce the formation of the KPK Supervisory Board.

Although the formation of the Supervisory Board will be considered to make the KPK slow down in investigating corruption cases. The anti-graft agency could not do much other than surrender and follow the prevailing rules.

The KPK Chairman Agus Rahardjo has submitted the submission of the KPK's submission to waiting for the Supervisory Board, whose tenure will soon expire. According to him, there was no reason for his institution to resist. Moreover, the KPK is a law enforcement agency.

"The KPK is the enforcer of the law. If the law is already sound, the KPK has to do it," Agus told reporters at the KPK's Red and White House, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Friday, December 6.

The law that Agus meant was Law 19/2019 concerning the KPK. In this law, the Supervisory Board has the task of supervising the implementation of KPK's duties and powers, including granting wiretapping, searches and confiscation permits.

Agus said that the KPK also did not want to be involved in the matter of the council that would supervise the institution and chose to wait for the inauguration of those who would sit in that position.

He said the KPK is now more focused on the transition they will carry out. Law 19/2019 takes effect. "Now we have an intensive transition meeting," he stressed, although he did not disclose what the future transition process would look like, including the transition to the KPK employment status.

Besides not wanting to be involved, Agus said that the KPK also did not provide input on the names of candidates for the supervisory board. He also said he would not propose a name from the KPK internals. Because, apart from being unsatisfactory, he believes Jokowi has a candidate who deserves to sit in that position.

"The one who chooses the President. The president must already have a name. I heard that the coordinator is the State Secretary (Pratikno), certainly input from there," he said.

Previously, President Jokowi said that the names of those who would sit on the KPK Supervisory Board were being reviewed by the State Secretary's internal team (Setneg) led by Praktikno. The process has not yet entered the finalization stage because it is still listening to public input.

"Still listening to public input. Very much," said Jokowi at the Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta, Monday, December 2.

Even though he received a lot of input, President Jokowi said that his party would not make the wrong choice in determining the KPK Supervisory Board.

There are several criteria that must be met by prospective candidates, including having a good track record, having integrity, and having experience in the fields of criminal law and financial management audits. "It's important and the process is still ongoing," said the former mayor of Solo.