"Massive corruption has been discovered, and inspections have been carried out for the sake of national interests. A few services have remained untouched. We are now evaluating the program and will use the strategy of soft enforcement," KPK deputy chief commissioner Bambang Widjojanto said here on Monday.
The KPK along with the Presidential Working Unit for Development Control and Supervision (UKP4) and the National Police Crime Investigation Agency had recently conducted a surprise inspection at Jakartas Soekarno-Hatta Airport at the wee hours on July 26 after a surprise inspection along with Jakarta vice governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama at a motor vehicles testing center in Kedaung Kali Angke earlier on July 23, where corrupt practices had been discovered.
Bambang said KPK would evaluate both the inspection results and schedule a meeting with Migrant Care, a non-governmental organization that has so far looked after the welfare of migrant workers.
"Friends from Migrant Care will bring along migrant workers who have suffered extortion at the airport. They will provide testimonies," he said.
With regard to the case at the motor vehicle testing center, he said a meeting would be conducted at the third week of August during which "we will present the results of our study and inspection for use to make changes, to help the center become better."
With regard to future inspections, Bambang said KPK has been consolidating with other offices concerned.
"We are still consolidating with other task forces. We have been provided with different assignments. Later, following inputs from community members, task forces will decide where to inspect," he explained.
Bambang admitted that surprise inspection was not an end to corruption. "It is a mere strategy of soft enforcement using shocking impact, but it is a good governance to improve public service," he pointed out.
Regarding the National Indonesian Manpower Placement and Protection (BNP2TKI), Bambang said, "With regard to BNP2TKI, we have conducted a study, but the complete report belongs to Migrant Care. So, we will hear directly from Migrant Care to understand how effective BNP2TKI is."
Following the surprise inspection at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport, 18 suspects have been arrested, including one military (TNI) personnel and two police officers, while the others were thugs or middlemen.
Since 2006, KPK had been conducting a study regarding the system of placement of migrant workers, the results of which had been submitted to the ministry of manpower and BNP2TKI, including service for returning migrant workers.
KPK has discovered various shortcomings in the service for returning migrant workers at Terminal III, which have the potential for corruption, including the imposition of a low exchange rate at money changers for returning migrant workers and steep price of their transportation home.
The government has actually issued a regulation for the safe return of migrant workers to their villages, but its implementation has not yet guaranteed protection to migrant workers from extortion and intimidation.
Based on its monitoring, KPK has discovered the involvement of public service officials, BNP2TKI staff, porters, cleaning service workers, and airport staff in leading returning migrant workers to middlemen to arrange their transportation home and intimidating them to exchange their foreign currencies at certain money changers at a lower rate as well as extortion by thugs and middlemen of the workers and families who pick them up.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
