Bisnis.com, JAKARTA – President Joko Widodo has been urged to stop the potential for corruption in the infrastructure and extractive sectors as part of the country’s efforts to eradicate corruption.
The infrastructure sector is important because it is the government’s priority program, one of which is in the power generation sector. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named a member of Commission VII DPR RI from the Hanura Dewie Yasin Limpo faction as a suspect in the bribery case of a micro-hydropower plant in Deiyai Regency, Papua for the 2016 fiscal year.
Meanwhile, in the mining sector, Publish What You Pay Indonesia (PWYP) Indonesia released data on the alleged illegal flow of funds from the mining sector in the last 12 years, which reached more than Rp 200 trillion. The flow of funds is thought to have originated from deliberate errors in recording and trading via fake invoices.
Therefore, yesterday’s 92 civil organizations declared that the state must be present in the agenda of eradicating corruption, including matters of infrastructure and the extractive sector. The organization, which stretches from West to Eastern Indonesia, is part of the Anti-Corruption Civil Society Coalition.
“We hereby demand reforms and improvements in the natural resources and infrastructure sectors which have large funding in Indonesia,” said Carolus Tuah, Chair of the Eastern Region Working Group, in a joint statement in Jakarta.
He said the management of the extractive sector was still chaotic and so was infrastructure. The coalition said that reforms and improvements were needed in supervising licensing, state revenues in the extractive sector, namely forestry, oil and gas, and minerals and coal.
On the other hand, the coalition also asked the government to seriously resolve the problem of forest and land fires in Indonesia. Apart from that, this civil organization also urged firm action against the perpetrators of forest burning.
THE LAND ACQUISITION
Meanwhile, Commissioner of the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Merger Nasution said that infrastructure development that will use large-scale APBN funds has the potential to cause corruption and human rights violations.
Komnas HAM has received 22 complaints related to the issue of corruption in infrastructure development this year, including land acquisition for projects. “The potential for corruption in infrastructure development is in the land acquisition activity phase,” said Merger in his statement, Wednesday (21/10/2015).
Komnas HAM also stated that development activities must be supervised in the context of preventing and prosecuting criminal acts of corruption. So, according to the institution, the objectives of development based on human rights principles will be achieved.
Separately, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) previously stated that it was still reviewing the project to procure a 16,000 MW power plant to prevent corruption and state losses. The power plant is one of the programs initiated by President Joko Widodo to increase electrification in Indonesia.
The KPK stated that it has the authority to conduct a study of potential losses in the procurement of goods and services. Apart from that, the institution is also authorized to do the same thing in a direct appointment, as one of the schemes used in the power plant project.