Using Law Enforcement Officials, Including The KPK To Overthrow Electability Ahead Of Elections, Is Not Something New

Firli Bahuri/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Firli Bahuri revealed that ahead of the 2024 General Election (Pemilu), his party is often urged to designate certain governors and figures as suspects. However, this kind of pressure is considered not a new thing ahead of the five-year contest, so law enforcement officers are asked to be careful in their actions.

Firli admitted that recently there have been frequent pressures for his agency to examine the governor and the children of high-popular officials. This pressure arose from community groups.

"There are so many opinions and requests that the KPK immediately examine several governors related to several cases in the past and the future, also examine the KKN of officials' children, and other figures who do have names and popularity, etc.," said Firli in his Twitter upload @firlibahuri followed Monday, February 21.

Firli suspects that this request is filled with political interests for the upcoming 2024 election. According to him, like it or not, the KPK is prone to being used for this kind of thing.

"This public pressure, especially on social media, in my opinion, is closely related to the political situation ahead of the 2024 election," he said.

With this condition, Firli said, his party will try to work professionally and transparently. Including not arbitrary figures without first exploring the information, evidence, and evidence submitted by the community to the KPK or those found in the investigation process.

"KPK ensures that any information from the public will receive attention," wrote the former Deputy for Enforcement of the KPK.

"The KPK will of course continue to study and explore, including information, and evidence, both those submitted directly to the KPK as well as information and facts found in the investigation process," added Firli.

Firli's statement about efforts to attract the KPK and other law enforcement officers to the political vortex ahead of the 2024 General Election is a common occurrence. The Executive Director of Indonesia Political Review, Ujang Komarudin, even said that this kind of step had actually been going on for a long time.

"This has happened for a long time. This is not the first time that legal institutions such as the KPK, the police, and the Attorney General's Office may be used or used by certain parties to destroy political opponents," said Ujang when contacted by VOI.

This political observer also said that this effort has even become a pattern commonly used to bring down the electability of certain names. So, Ujang said, it is not impossible that in the 2024 General Election, there will be a similar incident that drops certain names.

"That's a general pattern and not a secret because the candidates for president or vice president, including candidates for regional heads, will be destroyed if they are beaten by law enforcers such as the KPK. If they are arrested, the KPK will run out of hopes for popular figures to be able to rise to a higher level," he said.

However, this kind of tactic can still be prevented so that the 2024 General Election will run smoothly without the practice of black campaigning. One of them is by allowing law enforcement officers to work according to their main duties and functions.

In addition, law enforcement officers are also asked to work according to the rules and not be heavy on certain names.

"Just work professionally. Work according to the laws and regulations," concluded Ujang.