Anies Values KPK Now: Kultur Maintains Ethics As If It's Gone

Presidential Candidate Anies Baswedan/PHOTO: Diah Ayu-VOI

JAKARTA - Presidential candidate number 1, Anies Baswedan, assesses that the current Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) seems to have lost its integrity.

According to Anies, the KPK's commitment to maintaining the code of ethics is no longer visible, in the aftermath of cases of violations of the leadership code of ethics and the former KPK leadership that have occurred recently.

"Today, I don't feel that commitment has decreased. The culture of maintaining ethics seems to be lost," said Anies after the Paku Integrity event with the presidential and vice presidential candidates at the KPK's Merah Putih building, South Jakarta, Wednesday, January 17.

This condition, according to Anies, is very different from the culture of KPK employees he knew while serving as Chairman of the KPK Ethics Committee several years ago.

"I (previously) had an office at the KPK for only 3 weeks. When interacting, they were very disciplined. I asked 'What is busy?', they would say "Sorry sir, we can't answer". It sends a message, this person has integrity. He holds it as a code of ethics," explained Anies.

On that basis, if elected as President and Vice President in 2024, Anies and Muhaimin Iskandar promised to restore the legal authority and independence of the KPK.

The methods that will be carried out start from the revision of the KPK Law, return people with integrity to the KPK body, to the discipline of the code of ethics.

"Our commitment to eradicating corruption is not solely because we are currently presidential and vice presidential candidates. But this is continuing the struggle we have been through so far," he added.