KPK's 'Luxury' Work Meeting In Yogyakarta Criticized, Firli Bahuri: We're Not Traveling

KPK Chairman Firli Bahuri (Photo: Antara)

YOGYAKARTA - The head of the KPK, Firli Bahuri, emphasized that while he was in Yogyakarta on October 27-29, it was not for sightseeing. Instead of carrying out a series of work meeting activities.

"We are not traveling in Yogyakarta, but we have activities to complete," he said, when met after cycling with KPK leaders and officials in Sleman, Yogyakarta Special Region, reported by Antara, Friday, October 29.

He said, since the second amendment to Law Number 30/2002 concerning the Corruption Eradication Commission was passed on October 16, 2019, there are several things that must be adjusted, including regulations that must be applied.

Through the working meeting in Yogyakarta, according to him, the leadership ranks and structural officials compiled and evaluated the performance achievements of the KPK in the last two years from 2019 to 2021, including planning the performance of the KPK for the next two years.

In addition to evaluating performance achievements, the KPK also seeks to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the budget, including discussing how to calculate the budget in the future.

One of the characteristics of organizations that want to move forward, he said, is that they always try to evaluate so that there are changes for the better.

"Pak Alex (Alex Marwata) has the experience of the fourth period yesterday, now entering the fifth period, it's been two years of course he can evaluate how it was, how it is now, and how it will be in the future," he said.

The working meeting, he continued, also prepared a roadmap for the KPK until 2045 because in that year it was estimated that Indonesia would be among the five world economic powers.

"Therefore, the KPK must contribute, it must play a role," he said.

Regarding the opinion of some parties that the KPK's activities in Yogyakarta are just a waste of money, he said that the group of KPK leaders and structural officials to Yogyakarta even chose to use the cheapest means of transportation.

"So I say yes, we come to Yogyakarta, there are various alternative transportation that can be used. But we take the cheapest one. There is a train, but trains are more expensive than planes. But we don't talk about cheap or expensive, but the purpose," said he.

Deputy Chairman of the KPK Alexander Marwata added that the budget allocated for a series of KPK activities in Yogyakarta had been prepared from the start and would not exceed the predetermined ceiling.

"Definitely. I will confirm that and it will not interfere with the operational budget for other activities, such as enforcement activities. We have really allocated it from the start and I am sure there will be some left over," he said.

He claimed that this time's working meeting, which combined all KPK structural officials, was actually more efficient because in the past, each bureau and directorate at the KPK held its own working meeting.

"So it's not as if it's something new from the KPK. Now, we're bringing it together, not every bureau, every directorate, every deputy holding their own working meeting because we have one goal," he said.

The KPK chose a five-star hotel as a meeting place, according to him, because all three-star, four-star and five-star hotels were affected by the pandemic, including the tariffs.

The Secretary General of the KPK, Cahya H Harefa, said that the cost of the meeting package for 55 participants of the KPK working meeting was adjusted to the General Cost Standard (SBU) in Yogyakarta starting from Rp. 700,000 to Rp. 1,000,000 per person.

"The SBU in Yogyakarta is between Rp. 700,000 to Rp. 1,000,000. That's about the package for the meeting, yes, we are following that," he said.

At the end of the working meeting in DIY, on Friday, October 29 morning, the leadership and dozens of KPK structural officers rode a bicycle together from the Ngemplak Sleman Police to the Klotok Coffee Shop, Jalan Kaliurang Kilometer 16, Pakem, Sleman.

Previously, a series of KPK work meetings in DIY from October 27 to October 29 2021 drew a lot of criticism, including from a number of former KPK structural officials because they were considered unethical and too extravagant in the midst of a pandemic situation.

The KPK Working Meeting received criticism from Novel Baswedan. Former KPK investigators criticized through social media.

"Isn't it ethical? In the midst of a pandemic & difficulty holding an event like this?" said Novels.