KPK: It's Not Good To Compare What Happened In 2020 With The Previous Year

The KPK building painted red and white was taken using aerial photography technique (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Firli Bahuri thinks it is not good to compare the performance of the anti-corruption commission under his leadership with the previous years. He reasoned that the KPK under his leadership was faced with the COVID-19 pandemic conditions which made the work to eradicate corruption have to be regulated in such a way.

"That in 2020 the conditions are different from the previous year, so in our opinion and of course we all agree that it is not good if we compare what happened in 2020 with the previous year," Firli said at a press conference on the 2020 KPK Performance which was broadcast on his account YouTube KPK, Wednesday, December 29.

The COVID-19 pandemic, he said, had affected many sectors which then made all parties without exception the KPK to change mechanisms to work procedures. This is what makes the KPK unable to work 100 percent like the previous year.

He even mentioned the work from home or work from home policy that is often applied in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said, this kind of policy made the KPK unable to work 100 percent.

"But this condition does not dampen the spirit of the KPK to eradicate corruption," he said.

The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD thought that the Firli Bahuri KPK was better than Agus Rahardjo, who served in the 2016-2019 period.

Meanwhile, ICW researcher Kurnia Ramadhana said, based on the evaluation records of the last year the KPK made by ICW and Transparency International (TII), there was a drastic setback in the current anti-graft commission performance, especially in the field of prosecution in the era of Firli Bahuri's leadership.

According to Kurnia, in 2019, the number of investigations reached 145 cases but currently - in the Firli Bahuri period - only 91 cases. The decline also occurred in case prosecutions. If in 2019 there were 153 cases that went to prosecution, this year it only reached 75 cases.

"Then in the context of the number of arrests, in 2020 the KPK only conducted seven arrests. In contrast to the previous years, 2019 21 times, 2018 30 times, 2017 19 times, and 2016 17 times," he said in his written statement.

Not only that, currently, the KPK has also experienced a decline in the level of public trust and this is based on the results of a survey issued by the Alvara Research Center, Indo Barometer, Charta Politica, LSI, and Kompas Research and Development. This results in a decrease in the level of trust due to the role of the government when enacting the new KPK Law and electing most of the problem leaders.

The KPK is also considered to have failed to arrest their fugitives such as former PDIP legislative candidate Harun Masiku who became a bribe for former KPU Commissioner Wahyu Setiawan. In addition, Kurnia also mentioned several things that were considered setbacks, such as the attitude of KPK Chairman Firli Bahuri who violated the code of ethics by using helicopters for his personal gain.