There Is Still A 'policy' To Give Fees To Officials, Making It Difficult For Companies With Integrity To Move Forward

JAKARTA - The Deputy for Prevention and Monitoring of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said that there are still requests for project fees from officials, making it difficult for companies with integrity. He conveyed this after discussing with a number of company associations in the construction service sector, one of which was Gapeksindo.

"KPK has the impression that they actually want to do good business, the winners are good. But that doesn't happen because the environment has not yet been formed that way," said Pahala, quoted from the YouTube StranasPK Official on Thursday, October 7.

With the condition that companies are still required to deposit project fees to authorized officials, companies with integrity develop. "It is impossible for a company to be alone with integrity and enter into such a sector," said Pahala.

He also said this kind of abusive practice also threatens people with integrity within a company. Moreover, those who have integrity usually have made a system in their business so as to avoid corruption, including the provision of fees.

"So companies that try to have integrity will find it difficult to enter, especially people in the company. This is our concern in prevention," he said.

Furthermore, Pahala mentioned that the procurement of goods and services was the first winner of the most cases handled by the KPK. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the anti-corruption commission has handled 36 corruption cases related to the procurement of goods and services.

"So in 2020 to March 2021, during the pandemic there were 36 cases related to infrastructure that were being handled by the KPK. Even though it was a pandemic. So when everyone was busy with health, it turned out that construction was still there and the level was still normal, a lot," he said.

"Believe me, ladies and gentlemen. The first winner in the KPK case is the procurement of goods and services. More specifically in the construction sector," he added.

Previously, Deputy Chairperson of the KPK Alexander Marwata said that from 2004 to June 2021, there were 1,291 corruption cases handled. Of these, most are related to infrastructure procurement.

Thus, he hopes that the PUPR Ministry and the Government Goods/Services Procurement Policy Institute (LKPP) improve the procurement system. Including optimizing the use of e-catalog for construction work and standardizing HPS.

"These HPS are often not uniform even though the specs are the same, but the HPS varies depending on the area where the project is carried out. This is of course the work of the PUPR Ministry to standardize the HPS and the quality of the projects being carried out," Alexander said at the same event.