HIPMI’s New Chairman & Politics
Mardani H. Maming has been elected chairman of the Association of Young Indonesia Businessmen (HIPMI) to serve until 2022. His election is worth highlighting because he’s also a young politician from the ruling party PDIP. It is the first time in HIPMI’s history that a PDIP cadre is in charge.
The Race to Control Golkar (6)
Three months ahead of the chairmanship congress (Munas) of the Golkar Party, more statement support have been given to the current Party Chairman Airlangga Hartarto. Barring a political tsunami, Airlangga would win his reelection.
Suspect Imam Nahrawi: What’s Next?
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has on Wednesday (Sep. 18) named the Minister of Youth & Sports Imam Nahrawi, who is also a politician from the Islamic party PKB, a graft suspect. The KPK’s announcement came only a day after the House of Representatives (DPR) amended the KPK Law with a new Law. Will there be other cabinet members and or high-profile figures named suspects? Will Imam be replaced?
A New Era for the KPK
Every ending is a new beginning. The election of the five new leaders of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the amendment of the KPK Law No. 30/2002 mark the end of the superbody KPK. Some are pessimistic with the future of the KPK, and others even said the corruption eradication movement had died. But is that true?
Jokowi & Another Difficult Start
Riots that broke after the general elections, and then more riots broke in Papua, after that forest fires spread in Kalimantan and Sumatera. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has had to manage all of that, in addition to ongoing protests from civil society and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officials against the election of the new KPK leaders and the revision of the KPK Law. It’s been a difficult start for the President’s second term. Some are already pessimistic, but learning from his first term, people should not underestimate Jokowi’s ability to turn the table.
Illusion of an independent KPK
Without any data to support, most media outlets, including The Jakarta Post and Tempo, claimed that public at large refused the revision of KPK law. Two days ago, however, Litbang Kompas, one of the respected polling agencies under Kompas, the largest newspaper, released its survey, pointing to majority of respondents supporting revision of KPK Law.
Necessary Correction for the KPK (3)
The Deputy Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Alexander Marwata, who has just been reelected for his second term, stated that he’d discipline the KPK’s employee association known as the so-called Wadah Pegawai (WP) KPK. Interestingly, the other elected KPK leaders also gave similar statements.
Forest Fires & State Responsibility
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is reportedly angered by the forest fires that broke in Sumatera and Kalimantan. On Monday (Sep. 16), the President flew through the haze in Riau and directly led a meeting of the handling of the fires. Anger aside, we think it’s time for Jokowi to consider the implementation of extraordinary law enforcement to impose heavier sanction and punishment on all responsible for the arson.
The Corruption Eradication Kindergarten
Three of the five current leaders of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) made a dramatic move by returning the mandate and responsibility of managing the anti-graft agency to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. It is a form of their protest against the President’s approval of the House of Representative (DPR)’s plan to revise the KPK Law, and against the election of Police Insp. Gen. Firli Bahuri as the 2019-2023 chairman of the KPK. Some see this as irresponsible and unethical.
New Cabinet Talks
Another supposed draft of the lineup of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s new cabinet circulated on certain Whatsapp groups. The draft allegedly came from those close to the inner circle of the President. Some of the content made us doubt the reliability of the draft, but there are still interesting things to note.