NGOs urge government to dissolve KPKPN<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A number of non-governmental organizations suggested on
\nWednesday that the government dissolve the Public Servants'
\nWealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) for failing to live up to the
\npublic's expectations in the fight against corruption.<\/p>\n
The NGOs deemed that the commission, after one whole year of
\nwork, remained a toothless tiger with no outstanding achievements
\nin unraveling how public servants came by their wealth. They said
\nthe commission had gone no farther than gathering data due to its
\nlack of powers to verify reports of ill-gotten wealth.<\/p>\n
In separate interviews, Wasingatu Zakiah of Indonesian
\nCorruption Watch (ICW), Muhammad A. Asrun of Judicial Watch and
\nNizar Suhendra of the Indonesian Society for Transparency (MTI)
\nsaid that changes should be made to the methods employed in the
\ncountry's anticorruption methods.<\/p>\n
They said the commission's failure to work in a professional
\nmanners was only to be expected as 34 of the commission members
\nwere politicians.<\/p>\n
"It was clear for all to see that the political parties fought
\ntooth and nail to win as many seats on the commission as possible
\nso they could confer impunity on party colleagues who are public
\nservants," Zakiah told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Nizar also expressed doubt that the KPKPN could work well
\nsince "the members are only interested in salary increases rather
\nthen proving their abilities.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, State Minister for Administrative Reforms Feisal
\nTamin revealed to the House of Representatives that as of Jan.
\n24, less than 27 percent of the 40,506 public servants registered
\nhad returned their wealth declarations to the KPKPN.<\/p>\n
The KPKPN's chairman, Yusuf Syakir of the United Development
\nParty (PPP), has repeatedly said that the commission would audit
\na total of 51,500 wealth declarations by top-level public
\nservants and verify them before announcing the results in the
\nofficial gazette.<\/p>\n
However, Zakiah said, the KPKPN had put the cart before the
\nhorse with the reports having been made public even though no
\nverification process had been conducted.<\/p>\n
Asrun added that the results of their field checks in several
\nprovinces showed that not all high-ranking judges and prosecutors
\nhave received the wealth declaration forms, although the KPKPN
\nclaimed to have distributed them last November.<\/p>\n
Nizar went further and suggested that the KPKPN be dissolved
\nand its auditing functions be given to the proposed
\nanticorruption commission. The bill setting up the commission has
\nnow been passed to the House for deliberation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ngos-urge-government-to-dissolve-kpkpn-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}