Why is the KPK Involved in Proposals on Political Party Affairs?

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) idea to enter the realm of political party governance is considered to have strong legitimacy and urgency.

Former KPK Deputy Chairman Saut Situmorang emphasised that the KPK’s mandate is not solely enforcement but also prevention.

The prevention function mandated to the institution is explicitly regulated in the KPK Law, particularly Article 6 letter a and Article 14, which grant the KPK authority to formulate policy recommendations to prevent corruption.

In that context, democratic governance, including political parties, cannot be separated from the anti-corruption agenda.

“If we look at international literature, wherever we go, it will ultimately lead to political corruption or even state capture corruption,” Saut told Kompas.com on Monday (27/4/2026).

Saut described this practice concretely at the regional level. For example, regional heads extracting money from the bureaucratic apparatus, which is then distributed within the power circle.

That practice, said Saut, involves many actors and occurs collectively.

Various studies, according to Saut, show that political costs can reach tens to hundreds of billions of rupiah.

When campaign costs balloon, for example, for large campaign props or mass mobilisation.

It is at this point that the relationship between politics and corruption begins to form.

Dependence on funders (bohir) opens up room for policy compromises after the candidate is elected.

“Where do you get the money from if not from your bohirs,” said Saut.