ICW: Many Employees Failed To Pass The ASN Test For The 'Rotten' Scenario, Designed To Kill The KPK

Illustration-KPK Building (Photo: Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said that the failure of a number of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) employees in the national insight test had been drafted from the start. Besides that, this is also the final episode to finish off the KPK.

This was conveyed by ICW researcher Kurnia Ramadhana in response to the news of the dismissal of senior investigator Novel Baswedan, the Head of the KPK Task Force (Kasatgas), and a number of other employees because they did not pass the assessment of the national insight test.

"The failure to pass a number of employees in the national insight test was designed from the start as the final episode to finish off and kill the KPK," he said in a written statement received by VOI, Tuesday, May 4.

This assessment is based on a number of real and continuous events. "Starting from destroying anti-graft institutions with the new Corruption Eradication Commission Law, adding to the controversy over the leadership of Firli Bahuri, and this time employees known for their integrity have been removed," said Kurnia.

Furthermore, he said that this chaotic condition could not be separated from the role of resident Joko Widodo and all members of the Indonesian Parliament. This is because these two branches of power finally agreed to revise the Corruption Eradication Commission Law and include controversial rules in the form of a transfer of employment status to the State Civil Apparatus (ASN).

"Not to forget, this is also the fruit of the bad policy of the KPK Commissioner when it ratifies the Corruption Eradication Commission Regulation Number 1 of 2021 which includes a national insight test assessment," he said.

This bad practice has further complemented the gloom of the KPK under the command of the Chairman of the KPK for the 2019-2023 period, Firli Bahuri. Moreover, before this polemic occurred, there were already many other controversies within the anti-graft body.

"Starting from the unwillingness to bring Harun Masiku to the legal process, removing the names of politicians in the social assistance corruption charges, protecting witnesses in the lobster seed bribery case, leaking information from the search, until finally disarming the KPK employees one by one," explained Kurnia.

"For this reason, finally the public's concern over the policy of President Joko Widodo and the DPR who chose to revise the KPK Law and appoint a commissioner full of controversy is proven. Instead of strengthening, what appears is a scenario to remove the KPK from the arena of eradicating corruption in Indonesia," he added.

Previously reported, the KPK is working with the State Personnel Agency (BKN) to conduct an assessment of national insight for its employees.

It's just that recently it was reported that a number of employees did not qualify so they were said to be fired. One of them was rumored to be a senior investigator for Novel Baswedan.

Responding to this, KPK Secretary General Cahya H. Harefa said the results of the employee assessment were still sealed. The plan is to announce the results of this assessment in the near future as a form of transparency.

Furthermore, Cahya explained that the assessment of 1,349 KPK employees had been received by his party since 27 April. Thousands of these employees participated in the assessment which is a requirement for the transfer of employee status as stipulated in Commission Regulation Number 1 of 2021 concerning Procedures for the Transfer of KPK Employees to ASN.

In addition, as a KPK institution, it must indeed transfer the status of employees because it is in accordance with the mandate of the revised KPK law.