Commission II of the DPR: Regional Head Retreat Program Needs to Be Evaluated Following the Spread of KPK OTT

Member of Commission II of the House of Representatives, Indrajaya, highlighted the need for an evaluation of the regional head retreat program initiated by President Prabowo Subianto, following the rampant hand-catching operation (OTT) carried out by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) against governors, regents and mayors.

According to him, the retreat basically has a good goal as a national consolidation forum. However, the many cases of OTT regional heads raise questions about the effectiveness of its building substance.

"The retreat of regional heads needs to be evaluated seriously. The goal is good as a national consolidation forum, but the prevalence of OTT shows that we need to reassess whether the retreat material really forms integrity or just becomes a symbolic agenda," said Indrajaya to reporters, Tuesday, March 10.

He assessed that the prevalence of OTT against a number of regional heads was a serious indicator of the failure of leadership development at the regional level.

According to the member of the commission for domestic governance, the repeated OTT against regional heads shows that the process of building the integrity of public officials has not touched the most basic moral dimension.

"This wave of OTT is an indicator of the failure of regional leadership development. The recurrence of the operation of catching hands shows that the development of the integrity of public officials has not touched the most basic moral aspect," he explained.

Indrajaya emphasized that cultivating moral values must be the top priority in the training of public officials. He assessed that the approach to discipline, physical exercise, or semi-military methods may be part of the training, but the main challenge of leadership in the era of digital government lies in the ethics of using power.

According to Indrajaya, a number of cases that have emerged recently show the weakness of the political kaderization process before someone becomes a regional head. He also alluded to the statement of the Regent of Pekalongan, Fadia Arafiq, who admitted that he did not understand the rules because of his background as an artist after being caught by the KPK OTT.

"This statement shows a serious failure in the political kaderization process. Political parties should be a leadership school that ensures candidates for regional heads understand governance, ethics of office, and the law of state administration," said the PKB legislator from the Papua District.

Indrajaya assessed that the ongoing wave of OTT shows that the integrity problem has not been touched at the root of culture. He emphasized that the approach to law enforcement alone is not enough to build the integrity of public officials.

He then explained the difference between the social concepts of guilt culture and shame culture. According to him, many Western countries are influenced by the guilt culture, while in Japan the shame culture is strongly developed which is an effective social control mechanism.

"In Japan, even the slightest violation of ethics can trigger great social pressure. Many officials choose to resign even before the legal process is underway because they are ashamed of the public," said Indrajaya.