Interior Minister Tito on the Proliferation of Regional Head Arrests: Who Elected Them?

Interior Minister (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian has raised concerns about the direct election system for regional heads (pilkada), which he believes does not always result in good leaders. He made these remarks in response to the recent spate of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) hand-catch operations (OTT) against regional heads. “My answer is just one: who elected them? That’s it, who elected them? The people, right,” Tito said to reporters at the parliamentary complex on Monday (13/4). “What does that mean? Does this possibly relate to the direct pilkada recruitment mechanism that apparently does not guarantee producing good leaders? There are good leaders, but there are also those like this,” he added. Tito also touched on issues of welfare, moral hazard, and integrity related to the proliferation of regional head OTT cases. However, he believes the phenomenon cannot be viewed solely through the cases themselves. He assesses that there is a more fundamental problem. “This has happened several times in a short period, right. That means there is a systematic problem. There is a fundamental problem. Perhaps one of them is the recruitment mechanism that has been used so far. They are all results of direct elections,” he said. He stated that the direct pilkada system has positive aspects but also harbours negatives. Among them is the high cost of politics. “Direct pilkada on one side has good aspects, yes, there are positives, but there are also negatives. Including the high political costs and not guaranteeing that the elected person is a good one,” he said. The KPK has recently frequently arrested regional heads in OTT operations. The latest involved the arrest of Tulungagung Regent Gatut Sunu Wibowo in connection with extortion and other receipts in the Tulungagung Regency Government environment for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.