DPR lawmaker backs Prabowo's pledge to crack down on rogue officials

Jakarta – Abdullah, a member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), backed President Prabowo Subianto’s commitment to take firm action against rogue state officials who commit violations and become enablers of crime. He said the KPK and the Ombudsman must tighten oversight of personnel in the TNI/Polri and civil servants (ASN) to support the President’s commitment. ‘The firm stance of President Prabowo is a form of commitment to realising a government free of corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN),’ Abdullah told reporters in Jakarta on Friday. If not tightly supervised by the KPK or the Ombudsman, he warned that the cycle of irregularities would continue as in the past. Therefore external oversight is crucial because abuse of power is often difficult to detect through internal mechanisms of agencies. ‘Cases of wrongdoing involving officers or bureaucrats are often uncovered only after public and media scrutiny,’ he said. He noted that internal oversight in several ministries and agencies has been weak so far. He cited the high number of corruption and abuse of power cases as evidence that internal oversight systems are not operating optimally. ‘If there are still many officials or bureaucrats who violate rules and the law, the effectiveness of internal oversight must be questioned,’ he said. He argued that a culture of protecting and silencing colleagues who break rules has long persisted in state institutions. That culture, he said, must be rooted out through serious and sustained bureaucratic reform. ‘One important step is to make the merit system the primary principle in the appointment, promotion and placement of posts in ministries and state institutions,’ he added. He stressed that the mechanisms for punishment and dismissal of officials and bureaucrats who are proven to have violated the law must be expedited in line with the applicable laws and regulations. ‘Bureaucratic reform requires a healthy and professional working environment so that public services can operate at their maximum,’ he said. Earlier, President Prabowo Subianto urged the public that if they encounter any official conduct not in line with regulations, they can record a video with their mobile phones and report directly to him. He said this during his delivery of the Macro Economic Framework and the Core Policies of Fiscal Policy (KEM-PPKF) at the 19th Plenary Session of the Indonesian DPR RI for the 2025-2026 Session at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta, on Wednesday (20 May). The President noted that there are times when officials are involved in corruption. ‘Our people already have devices; if you see improper conduct by officials, I want the people to video it, just video. Do not confront, just video, and report directly to me,’ Prabowo said. In the same address, the President also ordered all ministers and heads of the Red White Cabinet to purge their agencies of corruption that hinders Indonesia’s economic progress.