ICW Suspects PU Ministry ASN Transfers Linked to Dody Document Leak, Urges BKN Intervention
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has said that the transfer of civil servants (ASN) within the Ministry of Public Works (PU) deserves serious attention. ICW suspects the policy is connected to the leak of a document detailing Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo’s official travel plans to the United States, which circulated on social media and drew public scrutiny after it listed the minister’s wife and child among the travelling party.
ICW Public Education Division Coordinator Nisa Zonzoa said that transfers do fall within a minister’s authority. However, their implementation must still be grounded in the merit system, organisational needs, and objective reasons.
“The transfer of ASN within the Ministry of PU is reasonably suspected of being connected to the leak of the document on Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo’s official travel plans to the United States that circulated on social media, in which his wife and child took part in the trip,” Nisa said in a statement received by Media Indonesia on Sunday (19/7).
She stressed that the authority to transfer staff must not be exercised arbitrarily, particularly when it is carried out after allegations of violations have surfaced.
“On the one hand, transferring ASN is indeed a minister’s prerogative, but it must be based on the merit system, institutional needs, and objective reasons. When transfers are carried out after alleged violations come to light, there is reason to suspect an attempt at silencing and an abuse of authority,” she said.
According to Nisa, the government must ensure that all transfer processes are conducted transparently so as not to create the perception that the policy is a form of retaliation against civil servants who exposed alleged irregularities.
“The government needs to ensure the transfer process is carried out transparently so that it does not give rise to the perception of retaliation against ASN who revealed suspected irregularities,” she said.
ICW also emphasised the importance of protecting whistleblowers within the bureaucracy. According to Nisa, such protection is an essential prerequisite for creating accountable and accountable governance with integrity.
“Whistleblower protection is a vital prerequisite for realising a bureaucracy that is accountable and has integrity. Without adequate protection, civil servants will be reluctant to report suspected violations for fear of the impact on their careers or other pressures,” she said.
She warned that if civil servants feel that reporting poses a risk to their careers, then corruption, abuse of authority, and conflicts of interest will become increasingly difficult to uncover.
“If ASN feel that reporting actually endangers their careers, then the potential for corruption, abuse of authority, and conflicts of interest will become ever harder to expose. In the long run, this situation can weaken the culture of integrity within the bureaucracy,” Nisa said.
For this reason, ICW is urging the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (KemenPAN-RB) and the State Civil Service Agency (BKN) to monitor the transfer process.
“KemenPAN-RB and BKN need to ensure the transfer process remains guided by the merit system, evaluate whether there are indications of retaliation against whistleblowers, and strengthen whistleblower protection mechanisms within the ASN,” she said.
Furthermore, Nisa stressed that strengthening bureaucratic integrity is achieved not only through enforcement against corrupt actors, but also by protecting civil servants who have the courage to expose suspected irregularities.
“Bureaucratic integrity is built not only by punishing perpetrators of corruption, but also by protecting ASN who dare to report suspected irregularities,” she said.
On that occasion, ICW also criticised Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo’s response to the controversy.
“Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo should stop making arrogant statements, as they ultimately give the impression of being defensive and acting arbitrarily,” she concluded.