Why Regional Heads Still Engage in Corruption Despite Attending Retreats
Ten regional heads have been implicated in corruption cases so far this year, despite the Prabowo Subianto administration initiating a briefing or retreat programme for them. The Ministry of Home Affairs, as the supervising body for regional heads, was appointed to conduct the retreat at the Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java. One of the retreat’s modules covered the prevention and eradication of corruption.
Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian stated that the retreat was designed as an initial orientation for regional heads. The aim, he said, was for them to perform their duties properly, with integrity, discipline, service to the people, and a developed sense of nationalism. “But after the retreat, it comes back to each individual,” Tito said when contacted on Sunday, 12 July 2026.
He argued that the central government cannot supervise the work of regional heads around the clock. Moreover, he noted, they are not children who need constant monitoring. “They are people elected by the public through regional elections. It is impossible to monitor them 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” the former National Police chief said.
He revealed that corruption among regional heads is caused by two factors. The first is the current system and recruitment process for regional heads. “The high cost of the regional election system means that once elected, regional heads want to recoup the money they have spent,” he said. He assessed that the official salary and income received by regional heads are relatively small compared to the needs of a state official. “So they seek additional income through corruption,” he added.
The second factor, Tito continued, is a greedy nature that undermines a regional head’s integrity. This greed, he said, drives regional heads to keep increasing their earnings, even through misappropriation. He stated that the Ministry of Home Affairs is cooperating with the Corruption Eradication Commission and other relevant agencies to mitigate graft by regional heads. The ministry has also created a digital system for regional government financial programmes to monitor and manage finances more transparently. This is being done because the Ministry of Home Affairs acts as the supervisor of regional heads according to prevailing regulations. “However, we are not a superior with command authority like in the military or police organisations,” Tito said.