SUMMARY:

On Thursday, March 5, the Home Affairs Ministry’s efforts to mediate the rift between Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and the city council over the city budget fell apart. During his closing remarks, Ahok fired several pointed questions at council members, sparking a shouting match among council members that quickly descended into violent outbursts of name-calling and profanity. Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo shrugged off the incident and said his ministry would focus instead on the substance of the issue. At the heart of the controversy is the council’s surreptitious insertion of Rp 12.1 trillion in unsolicited spending after negotiations on the budget bill had already concluded. Ahok refused to pass along the so-called “ghost” budget to the Home Ministry for approval, and sent up the executive branch’s more modest original request instead, sparking calls for his impeachment. On Wednesday, March 4, minister Tjahjo indicated he saw nothing wrong with Ahok’s budget request, and said his ministry would review and return the document early next week.

On Friday, March 6, Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto downplayed activists’ concerns that the presidential instruction (Inpres) scheduled to be released in the next few days would weaken the mandate of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to fight corruption. Although a draft of theInpres is not publicly available yet, state officials previously told media it included a significant focus on efforts to prevent corruption, sparking fears that the KPK would be relegated to a significantly diminished role. However, Andi said the regulation would not affect the KPK, and explained that it was aimed at addressing internal mechanisms within government ministries and agencies through greater transparency, which would in turn help graft-fighters to identify problems earlier. Indonesia Corruption Watch coordinator Ade Irawan told media that additional efforts to prevent corruption were always welcome, so long as they did not reduce the authority of the KPK and that they went beyond lip-service into concrete implementation. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo refused to comment on the draft on Friday, saying he had not yet read the document.

KPK investigators met with staff from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) on Friday, March 6 to proceed with the interagency transfer of Budi Gunawan’s case. Interim KPK Commissioner Johan Budi said investigators from both agencies met to discuss the details of the case, and that further sessions would be needed to effectively transfer the case. Earlier this week, KPK staff staged a public protest over the commission’s decision to cede authority in the case to the AGO rather than fight the pre-trial ruling at the Supreme Court. A spate of pre-trial motions have been filed by corruption suspects seeking to have their investigations halted in a similar fashion. Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo has announced intentions to send the case to the National Police for further follow-up, despite earlier statements his office would carry out a serious investigation.

On Friday, March 6, National Police questioned former Deputy Law and Human Rights minister Denny Indrayana regarding allegations that the online payment gateway that was put into place during his tenure to process passport application fees and minimize under-the-table payments. At the heart of the investigation is the use of several banks to facilitate payments through the system for small transaction, rather than transferring the funds directly to state accounts. Indrayana stood firm, arguing the payment gateway represented a much-needed breakthrough and that charges of corruption were a form of political retaliation for his outspoken support of the KPK.

A day earlier, State Secretary Pratikno told media that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had already ordered the police to stop the criminalization of the KPK and its supporters, including Indrayana. However, National Police Detectives Division Chief Budi Waseso told media the police would be putting extra effort into its investigation that inactive KPK Chair Abraham Samad allegedly falsified documents in order to allow Feriyani Lim obtain a passport. Waseso’s comments came on the heels of pledges from Deputy National Police Chief Badrodin Haiti that he would attempt to convince plaintiffs in the cases against Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto to drop the charges. On Friday, March 6, Haiti further eased tensions by announcing the force would drop its investigation into Tempomagazine, after the Press Council’s found the publication’s coverage of suspicious transactions linked to police general Budi Gunawan to be above board.

On Friday, March 6, National Police announced it was in the process of shuffling 62 top-brass and middle-management personnel. Among the staff receiving new assignments was Victor Simanjuntak, who is scheduled for promotion from a position within the police’s training bureau to the director of economic and special crimes under the National Police Detectives Unit headed by Budi Waseso. Victor’s promotion comes as a direct contradiction to the recommendation of the National Ombudsman’s Office (ORI) that he should be reprimanded for his unusual participation in the January arrest of inactive KPK Vice Chair Bambang Widjojanto. Instead, his promotion will place him in a position of authority over the department leading the investigation into allegations the graft-fighter compelled a witness to commit perjury in a 2010 local election dispute.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS:

Friday, Feb. 27 – KPK Commissioners meet with Jokowi

Friday, Feb. 27 – CSO coalition calls for firm presidential action and urges KPK to press forward

Friday, Feb. 27 – Inactive KPK Vice Chair Bambang Widjojanto skips National Police questioning, threatened with detention if he skips again

Friday, Feb. 27 – Jakarta Governor files complaint with KPK over city budget manipulation

Monday, March 2 – KPK hands over Budi Gunawan’s case to AGO

Monday, March 2 – AGO hands over Budi Gunawan’s case to National Police

Tuesday, March 3 – KPK staff stage protest in front of headquarters

Wednesday, March 4 – National Police question former Law and Human Rights minister Amir Syamsuddin in connection to online payment gateway

Wednesday, March 4 – National Police indicate willingness to drop cases against Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto

Thursday, March 5 – Judicial Commission questions South Jakarta District Court head in connection to its review of Sarpin Rizaldi’s conduct.

Friday, March 6 – National Police question Denny Indrayana regarding online payment gateway

Friday, March 6 – National Police promote controversial figure to handle Bambang Widjojanto’s investigation

Friday, March 6 – Following Press Council’s lead, National Police drop Tempo magazine investigation

IMPLICATIONS:

Indications that the pending Impres would boost transparency efforts within government ministries and agencies comes as a welcome development, but as activists have indicated, any regulation must be met with genuine efforts to implement it to achieve meaningful reform. As ongoing struggles facing Ahok and Denny Indrayana indicate, e-budgeting tools and online payment gateways are not entirely novel approaches, but entrenched players are resistant to efforts to implement measures to reduce opportunities for graft and manipulation and are keen instead to use any change to the status quo as an opportunity to settle political scores.

The National Police’s promotion of Victor Simanjuntak represents a troubling reward for documented abuse of authority, and an open act of defiance against explicit recommendations from the Ombudsman. Budi Waseso’s comment that police would prioritize the case against Abraham Samad muddies the waters after what appeared to be encouraging signs earlier this week that the police would be seeking to drop the charges. It appears that the President's vague statements about a desire for “harmonization” between law enforcement agencies were insufficient to stop the aggressive police tactics against the inactive KPK Chair.

Information as of 5:30 p.m. WIB, March 6, 2015