KPK Chief Stresses Integrity as Foundation for Patriot Expedition Team 2026

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Chairman Setyo Budiyanto has stressed that integrity is the primary foundation every participant of the 2026 Patriot Expedition Team (TEP) must possess. The message was delivered during the send-off event for the 2026 Patriot Expedition Team, organised by the Ministry of Transmigration at Balai Kartini, Jakarta, on Wednesday, 29 July 2026. “This is a trust from the state given to us, so we must truly guard it and carry it out as best as possible. It is not just about the uniform, nor just about the assignment letter, but this is a trust given to us to be executed to the fullest extent,” said KPK Chairman Setyo Budiyanto. According to Setyo, the students’ participation in the 2026 Patriot Expedition Team is not merely about running a community service programme. They carry a mandate and the state’s trust to provide tangible benefits to communities in transmigration areas, so every task undertaken must be grounded in a sense of responsibility and integrity. Furthermore, Setyo explained that integrity is not only understood as an effort to avoid corrupt behaviour, but is a primary requirement in realising the state’s goals. Through the execution of duties with integrity, participants are expected to deliver protection, welfare, better education, and social justice for communities in transmigration areas. “Integrity is the state’s way of fulfilling its promises. Our obligation, given the opportunity to carry out this Patriot Expedition, is to execute it with full integrity,” he said. Setyo also reminded participants not to treat the community merely as objects of data collection. He assessed that the Patriot Expedition Team’s presence must produce solutions born from an understanding of field conditions, culture, and the local knowledge possessed by the community. “Do not make the community merely a source of data. Science is important, technology is important, data is important, but local knowledge is also important,” he stressed. Additionally, he emphasised the importance of maintaining objectivity in compiling data and recommendations. According to him, every piece of information gathered will form the basis for policy-making, so it must be conveyed honestly, accurately, and as it is. “That data will greatly influence the decisions made by the Minister. Just present it as it is, not because it is forced, conditioned, let alone ordered,” he said. The 2026 Patriot Expedition Team is a Ministry of Transmigration programme involving 1,476 students from various universities to be deployed to 53 transmigration areas across Indonesia for four months. Through this programme, participants are expected to present innovative ideas while assisting communities in supporting the development and transformation of transmigration areas.