More than 1,200 employees of Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have taken an oath of allegiance as Public Servants — many under protest.
The requirement follows the passing of legislation that transfers the formerly independent investigators to the Public Service — something that has met wide resistance within the KPK.
The swearing-in ceremony also drew controversy because only those passing the so-called Nationalism Test were eligible to become employees.
At least 75 members failed the test, including top investigator, Novel Baswedan (pictured) and union leader at the Agency, Yudi Purnomo.
Mr Novel earned a reputation for handling high-profile cases involving Ministers, high-ranking police officers and other top State officials.
Following unsuccessful police attempts to slap criminal charges on him, Mr Novel decided to resign from the National Police and to focus on his job at the KPK.
He was the victim of an April 2017 acid attack that severely damaged his eyes; more than two years later, two active police officers handed themselves in to the police after confessing to their roles in the attack.
Mr Yudi is known as a staunch critic of current the KPK leadership under Firli Bahuri.
He has repeatedly said the Nationalism Test was little more than an attempt to dismiss a certain group of employees like him and Mr Novel.
Of the 75 employees who failed the test, 51 are to be permanently dismissed from the KPK but it remains unclear if Mr Novel and Mr Yudi are among them.
The ceremony went on smoothly at the KPK headquarters in South Jakarta led by Mr Firli.
Only 53 employees were present in the building while the rest followed the proceedings online due to COVID-19 protocols.
They swore the oath to uphold and protect State ideology and the Constitution and pledged allegiance to the Government.
The Government and the House of Representatives agreed to amend the 2002 Law on the KPK on the grounds that it had become too powerful and there was no oversight body.
Jakarta, 4 June 2021
