PAN Views Proposal for Political Party Cadre Oversight Body as Potentially Unconstitutional
The National Mandate Party (PAN) appreciates and agrees if the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) recommends the establishment of an autonomous and internal oversight body for party cadre development to party leaders, as this is a good idea that must be quickly realised by political parties,” said PAN Deputy Chairman Viva Yoga to reporters on Thursday (30 April 2026).
“But if the KPK forms the party cadre oversight body, then that idea is incorrect and will be seen as violating the constitution and the basic principles of constitutional law,” he continued.
According to him, the KPK could be seen as deviating from its purpose in using its authority (detournement de pouvoir). In addition, the KPK could also be said to have exceeded its powers (excess of power).
“Certainly, some public views will assess this as a form of excessive state intervention because it violates the principle of freedom of association,” he stated.
He said the main function of the KPK is to prevent corruption and carry out enforcement as well as eradicate corruption. He emphasised that the KPK does not need to interfere in the internal life of political parties.
“PAN assesses that if the KPK forms a party cadre oversight body, it means the KPK is entering the realm of internal party governance, which is the domain of the party’s internal affairs that has been partially regulated by the state through laws, not regulated by law enforcement agencies,” he explained.
Furthermore, he assessed that corruption issues involving party cadres are not only caused by weak cadre development. However, there are also several other interrelated factors, such as the party’s funding system that is not yet independent, high political costs, money politics practices, and weak fair law enforcement.
“If the KPK’s target is to prevent corruption from the upstream, then there needs to be an improvement in the law, for example, regarding candidate requirements that clearly track records, have integrity and capacity, report sources of political funds, limit cash circulation (kartal), and others,” he said.
In addition, according to him, the KPK can also be active in political education for party cadres. Especially in building integrity, understanding of the law, and governance.
“According to PAN, the main strength of the KPK lies in its independence and public trust. Therefore, the KPK should focus on its work to build system integrity and enforcement so that Indonesia shines brightly, as bright as the sun, so that the dark clouds of corruption can disappear soon,” he concluded.
Previously, the KPK proposed the establishment of a political party (parpol) cadre oversight body. The body aims to suppress political donation practices that become the entry point for corruption by officials.
KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo explained that in the study conducted by the Monitoring Directorate in 2025, one of the focuses was the absence of an integrated roadmap for political education between the government and political parties. The KPK assesses that the weakness of integration between the recruitment process and the party cadre system also becomes one of the triggers for political donation practices.
“The unavailability of a special oversight body in the cadre development process, political education, and party financial management enlarges the risk of deviations,” said Budi to reporters on Saturday (25 April).
Budi said that this cadre oversight is closely related to the process of every candidate from political parties when facing election contests. The KPK, he said, views that the high costs in facing elections often become the initial gateway to corruption, thus requiring oversight of political party cadre development.