Indonesia: Antigraft Agency Commissioners Return Their Mandate in Protest

• Commissioners of the national antigraft agency released a statement on 13 Sep 19 evening to “return their mandate” to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
• They said “extraordinary circumstances” had forced them to take this step, as the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is progressively being crippled by a series of revisions to the KPK Law, initiated by the House of Representatives, and the national legislature’s controversial selection process for new commissioners.
• By returning their mandate, the KPK commissioners effectively handed over the agency’s reins to the president. Ongoing investigations by the agency may have to be stopped temporarily.
• “After careful consideration, we the leaders of the KPK will hand over responsibility for managing the agency to the president of Indonesia. We will wait for [his] decision on whether we still have his trust [to continue our work] until Dec 19 … and to continue our operations as usual. We will wait for the order [from the president],” Agus said.
• He was accompanied by Laode M. Syarif and Saut, who resigned earlier, and Febri, the agency spokesman.
• The commissioners hope Jokowi will talk to them to hear their opinion.
• “We hope the president can take immediate steps to save the KPK,” Agus said.

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