Novel Baswedan Et Al Expelled From The KPK, Mahfud MD: If The KPK Doesn't Want To Let Us Take It
JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD said the government is ready to take 57 employees of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) who were expelled as of September 30 or today.
A total of 57 employees, including senior investigator Novel Baswedan, Ambarita Damanik, and Chairman of the KPK Employee Forum Yudi Purnomo were dismissed from the anti-corruption commission because they failed to pass the National Insight Test (TWK).
"If the KPK doesn't want to, as an independent institution, let us take this person," Mahfud said in an online discussion quoted on Thursday, September 30.
The former chairman of the Constitutional Court (MK) also said that TWK, which is a condition for transferring the status of KPK employees, does not violate the law. Mahfud also said that Novel Baswedan et al who did not pass the TWK were also right not to be inducted into the State Civil Apparatus (ASN).
However, this status transfer is problematic and causes a long debate. So the government decided that if the KPK persisted in not wanting to inaugurate them, Novel Baswedan et al would be channeled into ASN in other institutions.
"Let them become ASN in the government, because the KPK is an executive institution by law but not subordinate to the President. It is its own institution, such as the KPU, Komnas HAM, KPK, Bawaslu, which are executives but not subordinate to the president, independent institutions," Mahfud explained.
"So if the question about the KPK is 56/57, the government has if you want to become an ASN, don't go to the police and become an ASN there. The rank is the same as other friends at the KPK who have served three years in Group 4, for many years, Class 4 3, and so on," he added.
It was previously reported that 57 employees were declared unable to work at the KPK because they could not become ASN according to the mandate of the KPK Law Number 19 of 2019 as of the end of September. The employees include senior KPK investigators Novel Baswedan and Ambarita Damanik, Chairman of the KPK Employee Forum Yudi Purnomo, KPK investigator Harun Al-Rasyid, and dozens of other names.
The KPK argues that their inability to become ASN is not due to laws and regulations such as Perkom KPK Number 1 of 2021 but because of the results of their assessment.
Ahead of the dismissal, the National Police Chief admitted that he wanted to recruit 56 KPK employees who did not pass the TWK to become Polri ASN. This desire was conveyed in a letter to President Jokowi last week and was approved.
There is also the reason Sigit wants to recruit tens of these employees because the Police need human resources to strengthen the line of prosecution of corruption cases. Moreover, the National Police is currently also focusing on handling the COVID-19 recovery.