Jokowi Resturies National Police Chief Sigit Makes Novel Baswedan Etc. ASN, Mahfud MD: TWK Controversy Can Be Ended

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD (Photo: Irfan Meidianto/VOI)

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD, said President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)'s approval at the request of National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo to withdraw Novel Baswedan and 56 Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) employees was correct.

Novel Baswedan et al are planning to be withdrawn by Listyo after they were expelled by the KPK because they did not pass the National Insight Test (TWK) which is a condition for changing employee status to State Civil Apparatus (ASN). Not only that, some of them are said to be no longer able to be nurtured because they received red points from assessors.

"The President's policy of approving the request of the National Police Chief to (to) make them (as) ASN is also (also) correct," said Mahfud, quoted from his Twitter account @mohmahfudmd, Wednesday, September 29.

He explained that the President did have the authority to determine the appointment, transfer, and dismissal of Civil Servants in accordance with Article 3 Paragraph 1 PP Number 17 of 2020.

"In addition, the President can (can) delegate it to the Police (as well as other institutions) in accordance with the provisions of Article 13 Paragraph (5) of Law No. 30 of 2014," said Mahfud.

Furthermore, the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) asked that the polemic related to TWK which got rid of Novel Baswedan et al immediately ended. Moreover, according to the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court, the steps taken by the KPK to carry out TWK did not violate the law.

"The controversy over (about) 56 KPK employees who are related to TWK can (can) be ended. Let's move forward with (with) a spirit of togetherness," he said. Previously, 57 employees were declared unable to work at the KPK because they cannot become ASN according to the mandate of the KPK Law Number 19 of 2019 as of the end of September. The employees include senior KPK investigators Novel Baswedan and Ambarita Damanik, Chairman of the KPK Employee Forum Yudi Purnomo, KPK investigator Harun Al-Rasyid, and 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.

Ahead of the dismissal, the National Police Chief admitted that he wanted to recruit 56 KPK employees who did not pass the TWK to become Polri ASN. This wish was conveyed in a letter to President Jokowi last week and was approved.

The reason Sigit wants to recruit dozens of employees is because the Police need human resources to strengthen the line of action against corruption cases. Moreover, the Police are currently also focusing on handling the recovery of COVID-19.