"We reject the move to revise the law because we are of the view that the only impact it will have is to weaken the KPKs authority," PDF chairman Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono said here on Wednesday.
He said the authority of the KPK and other law enforcing institutions, such as the National Police and the Attorney Generals Office, should be reinforced and developed into effective institutions which can uphold the countrys legal sovereignty.
According to Edhie, there has been no urgency to necessitate the revision of the KPK law. "After all, the KPK has been manned by credible and selected personnel, who have the proven ability to drive law enforcement in Indonesia," he said.
Edhie said the Democratic Party will officially make public its statement regarding the plan to revise the KPK law through a session at a plenary meeting of the DPR on Thursday (Feb. 18).
The FPD chairman, who is also a member of Commission X on education and cultural affairs, encourages the KPK to be more firm in carrying out its tasks so that (crime) prevention and prosecution could run well.
"The regulations are already there. The KPK has been also strengthened with competent personnel who can enforce the law," he said.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said last week that the revision of Law No. 30 of 2002 regarding the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) must be aimed at strengthening the anti-graft agency.
The Parliament, which had proposed the revision, must first obtain a permit from the KPK supervisors prior to wiretapping someone, Ari Dwipayana of the Presidential Communication Team noted.
"The issue is still in the process there (at the Parliament). Do not ask me," the president was quoted as saying.
The House of Representatives (DPR) has been deliberating upon the proposal to revise the law. In its latest meeting on Feb. 10, several political party factions had agreed on the revision process.
The revision of the law on KPK was proposed by six out of 10 political party factions in the DPR.
President Jokowi had earlier strongly rejected the move to revise the law if it weakened the power of the institution, presidential spokesman Johan Budi stated here on Tuesday.
"If the revision is intended to reduce the KPKs power, then the president has firmly stated that the government will withdraw from participating in the discussion on the revision of the law," he affirmed.
"The president is consistent in his approach that the revision of the law must be meant to strengthen the KPK, and if the revision is intended to weaken it, then the government will withdraw from joining in the discussion," he emphasized.
According to Budi, the revision that would weaken the KPK could, for instance, be in the form of limiting or curtailing the authority that the anti-graft body has hitherto enjoyed, in ways such as necessitating the institution to seek a permit from the court if it wanted to carry out wiretapping.
"Reducing or scrapping the KPKs authority to prosecute will also weaken the agency. The president does not agree with the efforts aimed at weakening the KPK," he remarked.
Budi noted that the president would take into account peoples objections that had surfaced recently regarding the proposed revision in the KPK law.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
