The Dismissal Of Novel Baswedan And Colleagues Which Is Considered Arbitrary Without Shame

Novel Baswedan/VOI

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has announced that it will fire 57 employees who did not pass the National Insight Test (TWK), including Novel Baswedan and a number of other names. It's just that this dismissal was later judged as a form of shameless arbitrariness.

Former KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah wrote on his Twitter account, it was sad to see his colleagues starting to clean up their desks. According to him, these employees are people who are steadfast in fighting corruption but have been removed.

"We see arbitrariness happening without shame. Even those who should be able to do it actually "run" from responsibility. This is a repeating period. Worse! When a number of young people who are determined to eradicate corruption are actually removed by power," he wrote via Twitter account @febridiansyah, Saturday, September 18th.

As someone who has worked with dozens of these employees, Febri said that the employees have strong reasons to keep doing their jobs.

In fact, on the one hand, efforts to get rid of it continue to be carried out starting from promises to be distributed to BUMN, criminalization, slander, to the implementation of TWK which turns out to be a lot of fraud in it. "Why are these young people still surviving? Simple, because of love. There is a dream. Want to see our children and grandchildren in the future live a better life without corruption," he said.

Febri understands that dozens of non-active KPK employees are sad and angry to accept their fate of dismissal. However, Febri emphasized that the struggle to eradicate corruption does not end here.

"Sad, yes. Sick, yes. Angry, yes. mixed! But I understand, we say goodbye with our heads held high. After respectfully resisting. And we also understand, the struggle to eradicate corruption is not over at all. We will continue, friends. .. And, we will return. snatch it!" said the anti-corruption activist.

To conclude his tweet, Febri uploaded a photo of a black ribbon as a tribute to the dozens of employees who were fired.

"Black Ribbon... Out of respect for the 57 KPK employees who were victims of #G30STWK," he said.

Besides being a form of shameless arbitrariness, this dismissal is also considered hasty and can set a bad precedent in efforts to eradicate corruption. This assessment was delivered by the Research Manager of Transparency International Indonesia (TII) Wawan Suyatmiko.

"Regarding the dismissal of a number of employees who incidentally are investigators and senior investigators who are handling major cases, this could set a bad precedent for the KPK in eradicating corruption," Wawan said when contacted by VOI, Friday, September 17.

This belief arises because the anti-corruption commission has not been aggressive in taking action against corruptors. In addition, Wawan is also worried that the expulsion of people who have been critical of Firli Bahuri et al will make the KPK leadership choose cases.

"They now have the authority to issue SP3 (Warrant for Termination of Investigation)," he said.

Furthermore, Wawan also considered that the decision to dismiss dozens of employees taken by the KPK leadership was too hasty. According to him, the KPK should wait for President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)'s decision in accordance with the decisions of the Supreme Court (MA) and the Constitutional Court (MK).

In addition, the KPK is also considered to have ignored the findings and recommendations of the Indonesian Ombudsman and Komnas HAM in which these two institutions said that employees who were declared not to have passed the TWK were restored to their rights and appointed as ASN. Basically, the implementation of the tests regulated through the KPK Perkom Number 1 of 2021 turned out to be maladministration and rights violations.

"The KPK leadership is also ignorant of the findings and recommendations of the Indonesian Ombudsman and Komnas HAM. As a leader of a state institution, he should respect the recommendations of other state institutions that are competent in their fields," said Wawan.

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. Even so, the KPK ensures that employees are given the same opportunity even if they pass the age limit or have stopped being ASN.