Central Java Regent Arrested Again, KP2KKN: Integrity Pact Just a Ceremony

SEMARANG – Ronny Maryanto, secretary of the Committee for the Investigation and Eradication of Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism (KP2KKN) of Central Java Province, said the signing of integrity pacts by regional heads in Central Java some time ago does not prove their commitment to staying free of corruption. His statement relates to the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) latest sting operation, which ensnared Sukoharjo Regent Etik Suryani.

“We, as elements of civil society, do not believe in that signing (the integrity pact). It was done several years ago and it has not been effective enough in eradicating corruption in Central Java. So it is merely ceremony,” Ronny said in an interview on Friday (10/7/2026).

According to him, regents and mayors are frequently shackled by the “obligation” to recoup their campaign funds. Ronny argued that the shortcut for doing so is through corruption.

“I believe that over the past two years many regional heads have been trying to recoup their campaign capital. This is truly ironic. Was the last election so badly flawed, was money politics so massive, that they are trying to recover their capital within two years?” Ronny said.

In Ronny’s view, the suspected case dragging in Sukoharjo Regent Etik Suryani is not a new pattern. “These are old patterns that keep repeating. For instance, the buying and selling of positions, as in the case of (former Pati Regent) Sudewo, then projects as in Pekalongan, and extortion,” he said.

“We shall just wait and see where it happens next after Sukoharjo. Because from what we can see, the potential remains considerable,” Ronny added.