Komnas HAM Reminds President To Deliver Official Position Regarding TWK Before Allowing National Police Chief To Withdraw Novel Baswedan Et Al

Komnas HAM Commissioner Beka Ulung Hapsara (Rizky Adytia Pramana/VOI)

JAKARTA - Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Beka Ulung Hapsara believes that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) should take a first look at his institution's findings before allowing National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit to withdraw 56 KPK employees who will be sacked on September 30 tomorrow.

This was conveyed in response to Listyo's plan to withdraw Novel Baswedan et al who failed to become a State Civil Apparatus (ASN) at the KPK after being declared ineligible for the National Insight Test Assessment (TWK).

"It is better for the president to convey his official stance on the findings and recommendations of @KomnasHAM first before giving "permission" to other institutions to take initiatives regarding the status of 57 KPK employees," Beka said through his Twitter account @Bekahapsara quoted Wednesday, September 29.

It is better if the president conveys his official stance on the findings and recommendations of @KomnasHAM first before giving "permission" to other institutions to take initiatives regarding the status of 57 KPK employees. https://t.co/TMKwE0xUJ0

— Beka Ulung Hapsara (@Bekahapsara) September 29, 2021

Komnas HAM Commissioner Choirul Anam also gave a response. He hopes that President Jokowi can provide a direct explanation regarding the approved Listyo plan.

"It is important for Komnas HAM to get an explanation from the President directly. Is this part of the findings and recommendations of Komnas," he told reporters.

In addition, he said the idea offered by the National Police Chief could be interpreted as President Jokowi's attitude. So an explanation is needed especially if the decision comes from the recommendation of the institution that has been submitted some time ago.

"If this is part of the findings and recommendations of Komnas. Is the implementation part or all of it? It is important that we remind you that one of them is the restoration of being an ASN based on the order of the Law regarding the transfer of status. This means that the general system for ASN who applies cannot be applied," explained Anam.

Furthermore, he reminded that Komnas HAM's factual findings should be used as a reference. Moreover, in the implementation of the TWK assessment there have been violations. "The president has also made directives that essentially should not harm KPK employees. This directive is also one of the basic recommendations, in addition to the Constitutional Court's decision," said Anam.

"From some of the things above, we still use our recommendations as the main reference and we hope to get a direct explanation from the President," he added.

It was previously reported that 57 employees were declared unable to work at the KPK because they could not 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 National Police is currently also focusing on handling the COVID-19 recovery.