KPK OTT wave is proof of the fragility of regional officials' integrity

Cilacap Regent Syamsul Auliya Rachman (center) is escorted to the detention car after undergoing an examination at the KPK Red and White Building, Jakarta, Saturday (14/3/2026).

JAKARTA - The Executive Director of the Indonesian Center for Political and Government Studies, Yohanes Oci, assessed that the wave of hand-catching operations (OTT) carried out by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was proof of the fragility of the integrity of public officials at the regional level.

Because, the consecutive arrests of regional heads are not just an individual issue, but an indication of serious weaknesses in the internal oversight system of the regional government. "The OTT case that occurred within a period of only a week shows that the issue of the integrity of regional officials is still a structural problem in our governance," he said, Sunday, March 15.

Yohanes said, regional heads should be role models in maintaining integrity and accountability in the use of public budgets. Unfortunately, a number of corruption cases actually involve officials who have great authority in managing regional policies and budgets.

According to him, the prevalence of OTT against regional heads also shows that the internal oversight mechanism of the regional government has not been effective. In the regional government structure, supervision should be carried out by the regional inspectorate as the Internal Government Supervisory Apparatus (APIP).

"This phenomenon also shows the sterility of the internal oversight function in many regions. The Inspectorate should be the front line in detecting potential irregularities before law enforcement officers intervene," he continued.

Yohanes revealed that the weak function of the inspectorate is often caused by problems of independence and bureaucratic structures that make supervision not run optimally. In many cases, the inspectorate is in a position that is not strong enough to correct the policies or practices carried out by regional heads.

"This is the result of internal supervision being structurally under the regional head, so that the space for independent supervision is very limited. As a result, the potential for deviation is not detected early," he said.

He said, the pattern of action through OTT is indeed important as part of law enforcement efforts. But, the strategy to eradicate corruption should not only rely on enforcement alone. Therefore, the central government needs to strengthen the prevention system, especially through reforms to the internal control system in local governments.

"If we continue to see regional heads arrested one by one through OTT, it shows that the prevention system has not worked optimally. Internal supervision reform, strengthening the inspectorate, and transparency in the management of regional budgets must be a serious agenda," said Yohanes.

In addition, he also emphasized highlighting the importance of improving the recruitment process and political education for prospective regional heads. The reason is, the integrity of regional leadership cannot be separated from the quality of the political process that produces leaders.

"The integrity of public officials is not born suddenly after someone takes office. Integrity must be built from the political recruitment process, including through stricter selection of regional heads and strengthening anti-corruption education," he said.

Yohanes asked that the wave of OTT against regional heads in the near future be a national evaluation momentum for regional government governance. "This event should be a loud alarm for all regional heads that public power must be run with integrity and accountability. Without it, public confidence in the government will decline," he concluded.