Op-Ed: Not the Representatives of the Corrupt

Not the Representatives of the Corrupt

By the Kompas Editorial Board

JAKARTA, July 5, 2017. Members of the Indonesian House of Representatives are not the representatives of the corrupt. The supposedly honorable representatives of the people are paid from the people’s money.

The House Committee of Inquiry into Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission plans to go on safari to meet convicted corruption offenders in a number of prisons throughout Indonesia and this has deeply unsettled the sense of justice of citizens — taxpayers. According to the deputy chair of the House inquiry, Representative Risa Mariska, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, “the committee wants to find information on how they felt about their treatment as witnesses, suspects and convicts of corruption offenses.” Risa is a Representative for the 6th West Java electoral district covering the regencies of Bogor and Bekasi. She received 25,578 votes.

It is very easy to find corruption convicts in prison. They will be overjoyed to tell the inquiry about how the commission behaved when they were questioned, their experience in custody, their belief they were the victims of a conspiracy, their feelings of being entrapped and any amount of other mistreatment.

Being driven by a coalition of parties supporting the government and armed with this data, the inquiry will collect ammunition for dismantling the anti-corruption body. The aim of the House inquiry at the very least can be seen from the statement of House deputy speaker Fahri Hamzah from the Prosperous Justice Party representing West Nusa Tenggara and it is to review government commissions such as the Corruption Eradication Commission. By ‘review,’ he clearly means disbanding the commission, limiting its authority or transforming it into an ad hoc agency.

The real aim of the House inquiry is obvious and it is to undermine the Corruption Eradication Commission. The declaration of some politicians that the inquiry is aimed at strengthening the commission does not have a shred of empirical evidence. From the beginning, some House of Representatives politicians have been uncomfortable with steps taken by the commission to eradicate corruption from the country. There are Representatives on trial as well as party chairs and business people who have been arrested. The commission is certainly not without fault. But the way to fix these mistakes is not to exercise the House’s right to establish inquiries of dubious legitimacy.

Members of the inquiry should realize they are representatives of the people, not representatives of the corrupt. Corrupt behavior by members of the government violates the civil and economic rights of the people. The behavior of constitutional judges who trade in Constitutional Court decisions to enrich themselves is a betrayal of the law. It is the victims of this corrupt behavior that the inquiry should be listening to and not the perpetrators of the corruption.

Unfortunately, President Joko Widodo’s pronouncements have been too weak in defending the commission. President Widodo has said only that he wants to strengthen the commission. However, President Widodo is apparently not able to intervene in the inquiry because it is a constitutional right of the House of Representatives. The fact is the direction taken by the House inquiry can only be seen as intended to delegitimize the Corruption Eradication Commission.

This post is based on “Bukan Perwakilan Koruptor” [Not the Representatives of the Corrupt], Kompas Editorial, July 5, 2017 https://kompas.id/baca/opini/2017/07/05/bukan-perwakilan-koruptor/.

Featured image credit: Paula Bronstein www.paulaphoto.com/. University students protest on top of Indonesia’s capitol building in Jakarta after President Suharto resigned May 21, 1998, “This photographer has spent decades covering war. But she doesn’t focus on the front lines”, Photographs by Paula Bronstein, Story by Tristen Rouse, CNN, September 7, 2024 https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2024/09/world/paula-bronstein-retrospective-cnnphotos/.

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FCC rules high courts operate independently of Supreme Court

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://dailytimes.com.pk/1502677/fcc-rules-high-courts-operate-independently-of-supreme-court/

Ústavní soud dle mého názoru gaslightuje:

"obviněná nehovoří o vlastních pocitech,nýbrž výslovně uvádí podiv"—podiv je dle mého názoru(DMN)emoce,viz Wikipedia:"Surprise(emotion)" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surprise_(emotion)

Tím pádem DMN Ústavní soud tvrdí že obviněná nehovoří o vlastních pocitech a současně přiznává,že obviněná o vlastních pocitech hovoří,čímž Ústavní soud DMN páchá verbální zneužívání typu gaslighting.

Cítím

e x t r é m n ě ​ ​ s i l n é ​ ​ o p o v r ž e n í

vůči českému režimu,když toto vidím.

https://www.epravo.cz/top/soudni-rozhodnuti/podnecovani-k-nenavisti-vuci-skupine-osob-nebo-k-omezovani-jejich-prav-a-svobod-109351.html

Následující tagy nejsou myšleny aby reprezentovaly souvislost s obsahem postu a mohou jen vzdáleně souviset nebo být založeny na volných,několikanásobně nepřímých,logických,emočních,dojmových nebo podvědomých asociacích,nebo zcela nesouvisející:

#czech #cesky #czechia #cesko #ceskarepublika #czechrepublic #constitutionalcourt #ustavnisoud #gaslighting #verbalabuse #dishonesty #corrupt #corruption #injustice #court #soud #frivolous #lies #lie

South Africa's highest court just slammed the door on asylum shopping - and the minister is absolutely thrilled

https://worldbriefly.news/south-africas-highest-court-just-slammed-the-door-on-asylum-shopping-and-the-min

#SouthAfrica #AsylumLaw #ConstitutionalCourt

Constitutional courts are often the last line of defence for democracy. Dukagjin Abdyli reflects on European legal standards, judicial independence, academic mobility, and on the role of courts in strengthening democratic resilience in the Western Balkans. Read the full interview on the #Trafo blog ⬇️

https://trafo.hypotheses.org/65714

#RuleOfLaw #EuropeanLaw #ConstitutionalCourt #WesternBalkans #hypoverse

Agi: Giorno delle vittime del terrorismo, Mattarella alla celebrazione al Senato

AGI/Vista - Il Presidente della Repubblica, Sergio Mattarella, ha preso parte in Senato alla cerimonia per il "Giorno della Memoria dedicato alle vittime del terrorismo interno e internazionale e delle stragi di tale matrice", istituito con legge n. 56 del 4 maggio 2007. La cerimonia è iniziata con l'esecuzione dell'Inno nazionale da parte del coro degli studenti del Liceo Statale "Alessandro Manzoni" di Latina. Erano presenti in Aula il Presidente del Senato Ignazio La Russa, il Presidente della Camera dei deputati Lorenzo Fontana, il Presidente della Corte Costituzionale Giovanni Amoroso, il Vice Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri e Ministro degli Esteri Antonio Tajani, i Ministri dell'Interno Matteo Piantedosi, dell'Istruzione e del Merito Giuseppe Valditara e della Cultura Alessandro Giuli. Courtesy: Quirinale Fonte: Agenzia Vista / Alexander Jakhnagiev

Day of the Victims of Terrorism, Mattarella attends celebration at the Senate.

President Mattarella of the Republic attended a ceremony in the Senate for the “Day of Remembrance dedicated to the victims of internal and international terrorism and massacres of that nature,” established by law No. 56 of May 4, 2007. The ceremony began with the performance of the national anthem by the choir of the Alessandro Manzoni State High School in Latina. Present in the Chamber were Senate President Ignazio La Russa, Chamber of Deputies President Lorenzo Fontana, Constitutional Court President Giovanni Amoroso, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, Education and Merit Minister Giuseppe Valditara, and Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli. Courtesy: Quirinale Source: Agenzia Vista / Alexander Jakhnagiev

#Mattarella #Senate #DayofRemembrance #Chamber #IgnazioLaRussa #ChamberofDeputies #LorenzoFontana #ConstitutionalCourt #GiovanniAmoroso #AntonioTajani #Interior #MatteoPiantedosi #Education #GiuseppeValditara #AlessandroGiuli #QuirinaleSource

https://www.agi.it/vista-tv/video/2026-05-09/giorno-delle-vittime-del-terrorismo-mattarella-alla-celebrazione-al-senato-36974215/

Repubblica.it: La destra si prende la Scuola di magistratura, alla guida Paladini vicino a Mantovano. Fuori Sciarra

La struttura, che si occupa di formazione e aggiornamento professionale, per la prima volta non è più affidata a un ex presidente della Corte Costituzionale, ma passa a un professore di diritto privato a Milano Bicocca

The right wing takes the School of Magistrates, with Paladini at the helm near Mantua. Out of Sciarra.

The structure, which deals with professional training and updating, is no longer entrusted to a former Constitutional Court president, but passes to a professor of private law in Milan Bicocca.

#Paladini #Mantua #ConstitutionalCourt #Milan

https://www.repubblica.it/politica/2026/03/18/news/scuola_superiore_magistratura_guida_mauro_paladini_mantovano_sciarra-425229829/