57 Employees Immediately Expelled From The KPK, Jokowi Asked To Intervene

President Joko Widodo (Photo: RI Cabinet Secretariat)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo was asked to restore 57 employees of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) who were dismissed because they did not pass the National Insight Test (TWK).

The trick is to carry out the recommendations of the Indonesian Ombudsman and Komnas HAM to restore KPK employees. Because, after they are not appointed as civil servants, their dismissal will be announced immediately.

"We urge President Jokowi to carry out the recommendations of the Indonesian Ombudsman and Komnas HAM and restore the status of KPK employees who were treated unfairly in the TWK process and final result," said Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid in a written statement, Friday, September 17.

Jokowi, he continued, needed to take a stand because the dismissal decision had ignored the recommendations from the National Human Rights Commission and the Indonesian Ombudsman. Not only that, Firli Bahuri et al are also considered not to show concern for the human rights of their employees, especially those who do not pass the test.

"Ignoring the findings of independent state institutions is ignored as showing the arrogance of the KPK leadership and the government's unwillingness to correct violations that have clearly occurred," said Usman.

Meanwhile, Komnas HAM has found 11 human rights violations that occurred during the TWK process, including violations of the rights to work, information, justice and legal certainty, not to be discriminated against, and religion and belief.

Similarly, the Indonesian Ombudsman also stated that the administration of TWK had deviated procedurally, abused the authority between state agency officials, and ignored President Jokowi's statement not to use TWK as a reason for dismissing KPK employees. The Constitution (MK) also cannot be the basis for the KPK to carry out dismissals. Moreover, the decision is not included in the evaluation of the implementation of the TWK and the follow-up to the results of the TWK assessment is the authority of the government.

"KPK leaders cannot use these decisions to justify their actions. The president cannot hide behind these decisions as an excuse to remain silent. On the other hand, ignoring Komnas HAM's recommendations shows arrogance and indifference to human rights," he said.

It was previously reported that 57 employees can no longer work at the KPK because they cannot become ASN according to the mandate of the KPK Law Number 19 of 2019. These employees include senior KPK investigators Novel Baswedan and Ambarita Damanik, Chairman of the KPK Employee Forum Yudi Purnomo, KPK investigator Harun Al-Rashid, as well as dozens of other names.

The anti-corruption commission argued that their inability to become ASN was not due to laws and regulations such as Perkom KPK Number 1 of 2021, but because of the results of their assessment.

Not only that, the KPK also ensures that employees have been given the same opportunity even though they have passed the age limit or have stopped being ASN before.