Refuses To Meet With Minister To Deliver TWK KPK, Ombudsman: It Is Important For The President To Hear Directly

President Joko Widodo (Photo: Setkab)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ombudsman emphasized that he would not want to only meet ministers in the government of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to discuss violations that occurred in the National Insight Test Assessment (TWK) process for employees of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

RI Ombudsman member Robert Na Endi Jaweng said the meeting should be directly with President Jokowi in order to hear the findings and recommendations submitted.

"We certainly strive to be able to meet with him (President Jokowi, ed) not only at the assistant level because we have been discussing back and forth," said Robert in an online discussion broadcast on YouTube Friends of ICW, Sunday, September 19.

President Jokowi, he continued, not only needs to hear but also provide feedback regarding this matter. Moreover, this is related to state manners as he had conveyed some time ago.

"Yesterday the president said, I am waiting for the decision of the Supreme Court (MA) and the Constitutional Court (MK), so if they say this is state courtesy, then it is important for us to be fair to us at Komnas HAM and the Indonesian Ombudsman because this is an inter-institutional relationship," said Robert.

"I think that the state administration needs to be shown not to show favoritism, discrimination. We will discuss what might be good for the government, but when something is not good, whatever means the door is closed," he added.

Furthermore, Robert also emphasized that President Jokowi could not let go of the issue of TWK of KPK employees which resulted in the dismissal of 57 employees. He said the recommendations and findings were submitted to the head of state because they were in accordance with the laws and regulations.

"We are actually wrong if our recommendations do not lead to the President," he said.

Moreover, institutionally the KPK is in the executive family so that the highest decision rests with the President. Likewise with the TWK problem.

Previously reported, President Jokowi has responded to the dismissal of 57 KPK employees who were expelled due to the failure of the TWK. He refused to respond and asked not to be drawn into the polemic.

Accountability, said Jokowi, lies with the Ministry of Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform (Kemenpan-RB). "Don't take anything to the President. This is a constitutional courtesy. I have to respect the ongoing legal process," he said.

For information, 57 employees can no longer work at the KPK because they cannot become State Civil Apparatus according to the mandate of the KPK Law No. 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 State Civil Apparatus 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, but the KPK also ensures that employees have been given the same opportunities even if they have passed the age limit or have stopped being State Civil Apparatus.