We Need New Extraordinary Method to Eradicate Corruption: President Jokowi
President Jokowi in his remarks on the Commemoration of World Anti-Corruption Day 2021 in Jakarta, Thursday (12/09). (Photo by: BPMI/Muchlis Jr)
Corruption is an extraordinary crime that has an extraordinary impact, President Joko Widodo has said.
“In eradicating it, we need new, more extraordinary methods. We must continue to improve and perfect the methods of eradicating corruption,” President Jokowi said at the Commemoration of World Anti-Corruption Day 2021 in Jakarta, Thursday (12/09).
According to the President, eradicating corruption requires more fundamental and comprehensive efforts that are firm and indiscriminate so that its benefits can be felt by everyone. “We should not only prosecute the one that has gone viral,” he added.
For the record, in January to November 2021, the Indonesian National Police (Polri) have investigated 1,032 corruption cases and the Attorney General’s Office has investigated 1,486 corruption cases. Meanwhile, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has solved 1,291 cases of corruption since its establishment until now.
“Several major corruption cases have also been taken care of in serious manner. In Jiwasraya case, for example, the convicts have been thrown into prison by the Prosecutor’s Office and two of them have been sentenced to life imprisonment, and up to Rp. 18 trillion have been confiscated for the state,” the President said.
In addition, seven defendants in Asabri case were prosecuted—ranging from 10 years in prison to the death penalty—and compensation for state losses reaching tens of trillions of rupiah.
While in the Bank of Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) case, one of the biggest unresolved corruption scandals in the country, the BLBI Task Force is also working hard to recover state rights which is worth up to Rp110.4 trillion.
Quoting a national survey in November 2021, President Jokowi stated that the public places corruption eradication as the second problem that needs to be resolved immediately. However, he pointed out that corruption can be the basis of other problems, including disrupting job creation and causing the price of basic staple to rise.
Moreover, based on the 2020 corruption perception index, the President continued, Indonesia was placed on rank 102nd out of 180, which is still lagging behind other Asian countries, including Singapore (3rd), Brunei Darussalam (35th), and Malaysia (57th). “Law enforcement officials, including the KPK, should not be complacent yet,” he remarked. (TGH/UN) (GWH/LW)
