SUMMARY:

On Wednesday, March 4, a variety of NGOs added to the wave of protest following the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) decision to relinquish control over the case against police general Budi Gunawan. Demonstrations took on a more theatrical tone, with an effigy of interim KPK Chair Taufiqurrahman Ruki in the form of a Trojan horse being delivered to the anti-graft agency’s headquarters – based on the popular perception that Ruki was installed to weaken the institution from within. Artists gathered under the banner "Art to Fight Corruption" have joined the movement, and will unveil an exhibition at noon on Thursday, March 5, at Jakarta’s Taman Ismail Marzuki, based on the themes of anti-corruption and the current conflict between the KPK and the National Police. Attached to this digest is one example of their work.

Amid calls for the KPK to pursue a further appeal of the South Jakarta District Court pre-trial ruling – which saw the investigation into charges of bribery against police general Budi Gunawan halted – the Djokosoetono Research Center at the University of Indonesia’s Legal Faculty announced plans to launch an academic examination of the pre-trial decision. Former lawmaker Sutan Bhatoegana and former Religious Affairs minister Suryadharma Ali have filed pre-trial motions to challenge their legal status as corruption suspects, based on the precedent established by judge Sarpin Rizaldi’s controversial ruling. The academic review is scheduled to take place tomorrow, Thursday, March 5.

On Wednesday, March 4, the National Police questioned former Law and Human Rights minister Amir Syamsuddin regarding allegations that the online payment gateway used by the ministry to collect processing fees for passport applications had caused Rp 32 billion in state losses. The original complaint in the case was filed against former deputy minister Denny Indrayana on Feb. 10. Denny is also facing accusations of defamation for his comments that Budi Gunawan was acting like a “drunken warrior” in abusing his authority to silence his political opponents

On Tuesday, March 3, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama struck back at his critics in the ongoing fight over the city budget by publishing published the revised budget that he claimed included Rp 12.1 trillion in “ghost” spending for public review. Local media has picked up on a variety of questionable programming – including the Rp 3 billion sanitation fee for low-cost apartments in North Jakarta, the Rp 2.4 billion project to refurbish an urban ward office in East Jakarta, the procurement of 3-D scanners, and uninterruptible power supply units for schools – which was inserted into the 2015 draft provincial budget, circumventing the e-budgeting system. On Wednesday, March 4, Ahok announced that a number of officials within the provincial administration had been found complicit in budget mark-ups in previous years, and had subsequently faced disciplinary action, including immediate demotions.

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

IMPLICATIONS:

The protest line that interim KPK Chair Taufiqurrahman Ruki has destroyed the KPK from within has gained in popularity, including calls from prominent civil society figures, but it ignores the collective decision-making process in use at the institution. To suggest that Ruki is able to act alone in pursuing an individual agenda is inaccurate, as he would have needed to convince at least two other commissioners to obtain a simple majority needed for strategic decisions – though decisions in the past have been traditionally unanimous.

Although Jakarta Governor Ahok admitted to committing a procedural violation in submitting a version of the city budget that was not deliberated in the city council, he appears to have won the battle of public opinion and is slowly but steadily gaining ground against political opposition forces who have invoked the city council’s right to inquiry. Political party NasDem has instructed its city council members to refrain from supporting the inquiry into procedural violations, and PDI-P appears to be close to a similar decision.

Information as of 5:30 p.m. WIB, March 4, 2015