Former KPK Discourse Investigator Joined With Ombudsman: KPK Leaders Must Firmly Reject Or Accept

DOC VOI

JAKARTA - Former investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Yudi Purnomo reminded the anti-corruption commission leadership to be firm regarding the discourse on the joining of the institution with the Ombudsman. Do not let the KPK show an unclear attitude to the public.

"For me, the KPK leadership should not be gray. It must be firm regarding the issue of fusion, refusing or accepting, so that the leadership said that rejecting, of course, public support will be strong, but if you accept it, why do people fight for people who surrender to the situation," Yudi told reporters, Friday, April 5.

Yudi reminded the leaders and KPK employees not to just give up. "I hope that the KPK will give a signal to the public that they agree that it will not be merged (with the Ombudsman, ed)," he said.

"We civilians refuse, but if the KPK itself agrees that this will certainly be contradictory," continued Yudi.

According to him, the KPK must be strengthened, not even merged with other institutions. He hopes that this institution can immediately improve its performance so that it reaches public trust and does not open up loopholes for the emergence of disbandment efforts.

"Now what must be done is to strengthen the KPK instead of the issue of this merger. Do not let the problems that occur at the KPK be used to dissolve the KPK," he said.

"The issue of the KPK merger that is currently happening is because the KPK itself is not creating (which makes). The KPK must improve because the public needs performance," said Yudi.

As previously reported, the Chairperson of the KPK, Nawawi Pomolango, said that the issue of his institution being merged with the Indonesian Ombdusman was an empty message. There are parties he accused of being irresponsible in spreading the false news.

"It seems that there are parties who deliberately raise the issue in the midst of a situation that has a lot of criticism of this institution," Nawawi told reporters when contacted, Friday, April 5.

Nawawi also denied ever being summoned by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) for opinion regarding the merger of the KPK and the Ombudsman. "I make sure it's a lie," he said.

"I have never met the president for such matters," continued Nawawi.

This issue arose when the KPK held a public discussion entitled 'Corruption Eradication: Reflection and Hope'. Deputy Chairman of the KPK Alexander Marwata said that the disbursement of the Indonesian anti-corruption commission and the Ombudsman was very likely to happen when referring to the incident in South Korea.

This statement was made by Alexander in response to a statement by netizens who commented on the KPK RI YouTube account. "(Is there really a plan for the KPK to be merged with the Indonesian Ombudsman, ed) so far the leadership has not received that information. But is there a possibility? Yes. We learned from South Korea," Alexander said in a discussion at the KPK's Red and White Building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Tuesday, April 2.

This statement was then responded to by Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Kurnia Ramadhana. He said he had also heard the issue but did not heed it because it was unclear.

"So at first many said, 'ICW friends have heard not that there is a plan for the KPK to take action to be removed as a precaution'. At first we didn't heed it but gradually the information became more detailed," said Kurnia when she got the opportunity to speak.

This anti-corruption activist then said that one of the information received by his party was that there was a meeting to discuss the merger. "This has been discussed at Bappenas, the plan is to make the KPK, a corruption prevention agency, merge into the Ombudsman," he said.