Continuing The Resistance To The Revised KPK Law

Photo illustration (Wardhany Tsa Tsia / VOI)

JAKARTA - The resistance to Law Number 19 of 2019 concerning the Second Amendment to Law Number 30 of 2002 concerning the Corruption Eradication Commission has not yet been completed. This afternoon, we met a number of anti-corruption activists who are planning to file a judicial review of the Law (UU).

Betti Alisjahbana had only completed one and a half hours of meeting with KPK leaders when met by reporters at the KPK's Red and White House, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta. He stated that he immediately took a step of judicial review at the Constitutional Court (MK) to challenge the Law which he considered weakening the work of the KPK in eradicating corruption.

"We plan to submit a judicial review. So, that is our form of support, and in essence we want the KPK to continue to be strong," said the 2015 KPK Pansel member, Friday, November 15.

Apart from Betti, a number of other anti-corruption activists also attended the meeting with the KPK leadership. Bhivitri Susanti, one of them. Bhivitri explained that currently they are formulating a legal strategy. It is nothing. Winning a judicial review is not an easy matter.

The KPK Law itself was previously sued by a group of students. However, the student's lawsuit was considered premature because the laws being challenged had not been numbered. Even so, Bhivitri did not see the mistakes in student material testing as pessimistic.

"(Submission) Students are premature, yes. No numbers have been submitted yet ... Well, but we see the MK's recent signs, we are quite worried that the rushed condition will give the Constitutional Court reasons not to accept or reject," said Bhivitri. to reporters.

What is clear, mistakes in the student material test will be studied in an effort to formulate the legal strategy they will take. Bhivitri declined to elaborate on the strategy. What is clear, this lawsuit will be different.

"We'll see. The problem is this is a legal strategy. If it is opened first there will be chaos later," he added.

Still hope Jokowi

Even though he said he would propose a judicial review, Betti said his party would continue to make efforts so that the KPK Perppu could be issued by Jokowi. "We are also working to get the KPK Perppu out of the way," said Betti.

In line with Beti, criminal law expert, Abdul Fickar Hadjar also said that the Presidential Decree should be issued by the president. Moreover, as a law enforcer, the KPK is now highly trusted by the public and is the only law enforcer that stands independently.

In addition, this legal observer assesses that the new KPK Law is intentionally passed immediately to weaken the anti-graft agency and make prosecution can no longer be implemented and only rely on prevention.

"I said that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is not enough to just prevent it. Because in its formation, it is a response to the weakness of law enforcement and that law enforcement has been recorded by people," said Abdul Fickar.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the KPK, Saut Situmorang, who participated in the meeting, said that one of the points of the meeting was that the anti-corruption figures who were present were still trying and wanted the KPK Perppu to be issued immediately.

During the meeting, Saut also admitted that his party had been questioned by anti-corruption figures who were present about the recent absence of prosecution. He denied the presumption that his agency was now afraid to eradicate corruption cases, because of the new KPK Law.

"We are not afraid, we will go ahead. Even if there is a trial of cases after the issuance of this law, we will face it," said Saut.

As the leader, Saut also denied that there had been no hand-catching operations (OTT) recently because the new law was in effect. However, this actually happened before the KPK Law 19 of 2019 came into effect.

"Yesterday the KPK also had 2 or three months of not OTT," he said with a smile.

Meanwhile, for cases in the KPK, he said, they are still in the investigation stage because investigators are continuing to work. "Today we are still working, investigators are continuing to work. But I can't show who we are following," he concluded.