Head Of Village For 9 Years Of Position, Expert: Too Long To Be So Corrupted

JAKARTA - Criminal law expert at Diponegoro University (Undip) Semarang Pujiyono assessed that a too long term of office will result in a leader's tendency to be a dictator and will become corrupt.

"People who have too long tenure tend to be corrupt," said Pujiyono in Semarang, Central Java (Central Java), Thursday, January 26, quoted by Antara.

This was conveyed by the Undip criminal law expert lecturer in response to the proposal to extend the term of office of the village head (kades) to 9 years.

Pujiyono cited a formula from Lord Acton, professor of modern history at the University of Cambridge UK, stating "power ages to corrupt, and absolute power corruption" (the power tends to be corrupt, and absolute power tends to be absolute corrupt).

Personally, Pujiyono agreed that the term of office of the village head was limited, for example, the same as the President's term of office for 5 years.

"The cost of running for village head is also very expensive, so there needs to be a certain period of time so that they can take part properly," he said.

Therefore, he continued, the current valid term of office in accordance with Law Number 6 of 2014 concerning villages is considered quite real to actualize their programs.

"If at that time they were corrupt and so on, then the law was talking," he said.

Previously, village heads from various regions in Indonesia demanded an extension of their term of office from six to nine years.

The village head urged the revision of Law Number 6 of 2014 concerning the village that regulates the term of office.

The nine-year term of office is considered as sufficient time to work with related parties in order to build villages.