OTT Criticism, Observers Say Corruption as if a Routine Agenda

JAKARTA - Legal and political observer Pieter C Zulkifli Simabuea, criticized the Operation Catch the Hand (OTT) which is still being carried out by law enforcement agencies. According to him, the repeated implementation of OTT involving officials and law enforcement officers seems to indicate that revealing corruption cases is a routine agenda in the country.

Pieter Zulkifli said that the phenomenon of OTT, the judiciary, and power are not separate events, but symptoms of a deeper crisis, namely the crisis of integrity and moral courage. Because, he said, without legal officials who fear God, the law easily slips into mere ritual of power.

"In this country, the operation to catch hands is like a routine agenda. Almost every year, even almost every month, there are always officials or law enforcement officers who are caught again. It seems that corruption is an annual ritual," said Pieter Zulkifli in his statement, Jakarta, Saturday, January 3.

"The pattern is almost uniform, press conferences, handcuffs, promises to clean up, then silence. We fuss for a while, then forget. Corruption continues, as if this country is diligent in arresting, but lazy in preventing," he continued.

In the midst of this anomaly, the former Chairman of Commission III of the DPR revealed that the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Sunarto, once uttered a simple but shocking sentence, namely 'it's useless for smart judges if they are not afraid of God'. According to Pieter, the statement came at the right time. The reason is, the legal issues today are no longer about the lack of rules or the weakness of institutions, but a crisis of character.

"Indonesia does not lack smart people in the halls of power. What is rare is those who dare to stop before crossing the line," he said.

Pieter also assessed that 2025 showed a more paradoxical face of the judiciary. On the one hand, the prosecution goes through OTT to issue a verdict. On the other hand, similar cases continue to emerge from the same institution. According to him, this indicates one thing, namely that the law works downstream, but is broken upstream.

"We are diligent in putting out fires, but we let the gasoline warehouse remain open. At this point, Machiavelli feels too real to be ignored. Five centuries ago, he wrote that the main goal of rulers is not the welfare of the people, but to seize and maintain power," he said.

"Love of the people, said Machiavelli, is expensive and risky. On the other hand, fear is a long-term investment. This cynical view finds its modern form in the era of algorithms and social media," he continued.

Pieter Zulkifli said that on paper, law enforcement in this country seems to be running, but justice is often left behind. He also stated that 2025 again showed the irony clearly where arrests occurred, the articles were multiplied, but public confidence continued to thin.

"In the midst of a democracy that runs smoothly administratively, the law actually feels further away from conscience," he said.

Not only that, Pieter Zulkifli said that today's rulers do not need to physically remove opponents, just by framing, buzzer, and opinion court, reputation can collapse in a matter of hours. Then, criticism can be turned into public hatred.

"Machiavelli called it the art of being a fox: appearing polite in front of the camera, but still preying behind the scenes. The difference is, now everything is done with data, statistics, and narratives that seem legitimate," he said.

In a system like this, continued Pieter Zulkifli, corruption is often not just a disease, but a control tool. When many people are involved, everyone becomes hostages to each other, loyalty is even paid for with protection.

"Disloyalty is answered with selective enforcement of the law. The anti-corruption law is still raised, but often serves more as a symbolic threat than a substantive instrument of justice," he said.

Pieter also stated that the meaning of democracy is also thinning. He assessed that the election was still held, participation was recorded, but policies were carried out in place. In fact, he said that the people felt sovereign because they chose, even though the chosen ones were only faces, not directions.

"Procedural democracy goes well, but moral democracy is limping. Legitimacy is obtained from the ballot box, not from perceived justice," he said.

"This condition strengthens Tacitus' classic warning; the more corrupt a country is, the more its legal rules. Indonesia today is rich in regulations, but poor in a sense of fairness. Rules are made in layers, technically, and often ambiguous," added Pieter.

As a result, said Pieter, the law becomes a maze that can only be passed by those who have money, time, and access. Small people stumble on the administration and those in power hide behind procedures.

"OTT that keeps repeating it confirms the failure of prevention. Data on enforcement may be impressive, but it is also an acknowledgment that the ethical system does not work. Without faith, without shame, without moral courage, the law is forced to work alone. And the law, as history proves, is never strong enough to replace conscience," he said.

Therefore, Pieter Zulkifli emphasized that the statement of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court should be read as a stern warning, not a ceremonial quote. He emphasized that the country did not collapse because of a lack of articles, but because the courage to be honest was dwindling.

"Justice is not born from a pile of laws, but from the firmness of upholding the truth without discrimination. If the rules continue to increase while injustice continues to grow, what is worthy of suspicion is not the people who break the law, but the power that deliberately obscures," he said.