Fadia Admits Not Understanding the Rules; DPR Member Highlights Regional Leaders' Competence

An Indonesian member of Commission II of the House of Representatives, and also the chair of PDIP’s DPP, Deddy Sitorus, responded to the arrest of Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq who was caught in an arrest operation by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Deddy acknowledged that there are indeed many instances where regional heads elected do not possess competence in managing bureaucracy.

‘There are many occasions where Regional Heads elected do not possess competence, capacity and capability in managing the bureaucracy and the budget,’ Deddy told reporters on Thursday, 5 March 2026.

‘The lack of ability and understanding often triggers bold actions in the form of bypassing systems and procedures as well as ethics and morality,’ he added.

Deddy argued that there is a need to strengthen the capacity of civil servants (ASN) and the bureaucracy as a whole. He contended that a professional and clean bureaucracy is one of the keys to minimising the chances of corruption.

‘That is why, in fact, capacity strengthening of the ASN and the bureaucracy is being carried out through the law so that the bureaucracy can truly be professional and safe. The problem is the bureaucracy is also vulnerable and not always clean,’ he said.

Moreover, he said, corruption basically occurs due to a combination of the actor’s intent and an opportunity that presents itself. He said it would be difficult to eradicate corruption if it stems from greedy personal will.

‘Corruption is a matter of (intent) of the person and the existence of opportunity. From the human side, it is usually due to character influenced by greed and/or taking shortcuts, environmental influence and lifestyle. It is hard to eradicate if corruption arises from personal will,’ he said.

Deddy assessed, from a system perspective, that the opportunity to commit corruption arises because of weaknesses in governance. The weaknesses, he said, are often connected to budget management, authority, mandate, and even positions.

‘So various irregularities and corruption are always linked to people and the system,’ he explained.

Reasons That Are Not Justified

Meanwhile, PKB faction MP Muhammad Khozin, a member of Commission II DPR, said the number of regional heads facing legal cases at the KPK should serve as a warning to the government and all regional heads. He reminded regional heads not to act rashly when exercising their powers.

‘For other regional governments, the events involving several regional heads who are implicated in corruption cases should be an early warning for other regional heads not to take lightly the powers they hold. If they are not sure about their actions, do not hesitate to consult with the Ministry of Home Affairs or law enforcement agencies,’ Khozin said.

‘For the Ministry of Home Affairs, the arrest of several regional heads must heighten the aspects of oversight and guidance to the regional administrations,’ he added.

He said that the number of regional heads arrested is not just a quantitative figure or a normal legal incident. Rather, there is a governance problem in local administration.

‘Ministry of Home Affairs must activate the oversight and guidance functions for Pemda. Monitor and guide Pemda to prevent similar incidents from recurring,’ he said.

Khozin emphasised that a lack of understanding of bureaucracy cannot be used as a reason to normalise legal violations. He said a regional head should have understood their core duties since contesting in the pilkada (local elections).

‘A lack of bureaucratic understanding is not a reason for regional heads to normalise violations of the law. Because when contesting in the pilkada, the regional head should know the tasks, duties and functions of the office that attach,’ he noted.

Pekalongan Regent Declared a Suspect

Earlier, the KPK named Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq (FAR) as a suspect in an alleged corruption case for participating in a procurement project at the Pekalongan Regency Government. The KPK revealed that Fadia claimed her background as a dangdut musician made her not understand the rules.

‘In the intensive examination conducted, FAR stated that she has a background as a musician; she is not a bureaucrat. This is what Ms FAR said, and thus Ms FAR does not understand the law and local governance,’ said KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution Asep Guntur Rahayu at a press conference at the KPK Building, Jalan Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (4 March).

Asep said Fadia also claimed that bureaucratic matters were handed over to Pekalongan’s regional secretary (Sekda). He said Fadia admitted she spent more time on ceremonial duties.

‘FAR claimed that technical bureaucratic matters were handed over to the regional secretary (Sekda), while she herself spent more time on ceremonial functions within Pekalongan Regency,’ he said.