Fadia Arafiq Claims Not to Understand the Rules, Golkar Faction Spokesperson: You Can Ask

Golkar’s Commission II spokesman, Ahmad Irawan, has rebutted Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq’s assertion that her background as a dangdut musician leaves her unaware of the rules. He said that understanding bureaucracy should be a basic prerequisite for a regional leader. ‘Definitely, understanding bureaucracy is a basic thing. In my view, by the principle of legal fiction everyone is presumed to know the law (presumptio iuris de iure). Moreover, for a regional head there is a mandatory duty to know the law,’ Irawan told reporters on Friday, 6 March 2026. Irawan added that regional heads have multiple parties they can consult when rules are unclear, for instance the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) as the governor of local governance. ‘If there is something not clear, every head of region has a place to ask. For example, to Kemendagri as the supervisor of local governance,’ he said. ‘To various state institutions or ministries you can also ask or request explanations if there are things you want to know,’ he added. Irawan said the state has prepared regional governance structures to act as a supporting system for regional heads in administrative, managerial and operational matters to ensure governance is in line with the law. ‘The state has prepared regional governance infrastructure, such as regional bureaucracies, to support regional heads in administration, management and operations to ensure governance complies with the law,’ he said. Earlier, the KPK named Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq (FAR) as a suspect in an alleged corruption case for taking part in a procurement project within the Pekalongan Regency government. The KPK revealed that Fadia had claimed her background as a dangdut musician made her not understand the rules. ‘In the intensive examination carried out, FAR explained that she has a background as a musician; she is not a bureaucrat. This is what FAR said, hence FAR does not understand the law and governance of regional administration,’ said Asep Guntur Rahayu, Deputy for Enforcement and Execution at the KPK, at a press conference at the KPK building in Jalan Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, on Wednesday, 4 March 2026. Asep said Fadia also argued that bureaucratic affairs were delegated to the Pekalongan secretary (Sekda). He noted that Fadia admitted to handling more ceremonial duties. ‘FAR admitted that the technical bureaucracy matters were delegated to the secretary of daerah (Sekda), while she spent more time carrying out ceremonial functions within Pekalongan Regency.’