Legislator Highlights Corruption Patterns Among Regional Heads
A member of Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR), Muhammad Khozin, has highlighted the prevalence of corruption cases involving regional heads. He stated that the acts of graft that frequently ensnare regional leaders follow a common pattern.
“The pattern involves the sale of positions, the granting of permits, and corruption in the procurement of goods and services,” he said when contacted on Saturday, 4 July 2026.
Consequently, he argued that priority must be given to improving the systems for regional appointments, permit issuance, and procurement policies. “There must be a design to close these corruption patterns in the regions, as well as collaboration with law enforcement agencies to prevent them,” he added.
Furthermore, he assessed that loopholes still exist that allow regional heads to engage in such misconduct. This situation serves as a serious signal for the improvement of regional government governance.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs, as the supervisor of regional governments, must design a governance structure that leaves no room for corruption in the regions,” said the politician from the National Awakening Party (PKB).
Fundamental steps for governance improvement, he noted, also need to be restructured, including designing regional head elections that are not capital-intensive.
Khozin stated that the planned amendments to the Regional Head Election Law present a momentum to design an election system that is no longer capital-intensive. By doing so, he said, elected regional heads would no longer be obligated to recoup their political capital.
Throughout mid-2026, nine regional heads have been implicated in corruption cases by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The most recent cases include the Regent of Kuantan Singingi, Suhardiman Amby, and the Regent of Langkat, Syah Afandin.
In a separate instance, the Chairman of Commission II of the DPR, Muhammad Rifqinizamy Karsayuda, proposed an increase in the financial entitlements of regional heads. According to him, the current income for regional heads—comprising basic salary, facilities, and position allowances—remains limited and irrational.
Financial entitlements for regional heads are regulated by various regulations, such as Government Regulation Number 59 of 2000 regarding basic salary, Presidential Decree Number 68 of 2001 regarding position allowances, and Government Regulation Number 109 of 2000 regarding facilities and operational support costs.
Rifqinizamy proposed that regional heads and their deputies should ideally receive 20 per cent of the Regional Original Income (PAD). “The salary of a regional head is only around Rp 5 million to Rp 6 million, while the political costs are high,” he said on Thursday, 2 July 2026.
The commission overseeing regional autonomy has also received aspirations from the Association of Deputy Regional Heads to revise regulations concerning the financial rights of regional heads. The Ministry of Home Affairs is being urged to increase the income of regional heads more proportionally and reasonably.
“If these financial rights are well-regulated, our hope is that the abuse of authority, including corruption, can be minimised. However, if corruption occurs due to greed, that is a different matter,” said Rifqinizamy.