President Jokowi to evaluate active TNI officers’ placement in civil posts
Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will conduct a thorough evaluation of the placement of active military officers in some civil positions in ministries and agencies.
The head of state made the remark here on Monday in response to the alleged involvement of two active officers of the Indonesian Military (TNI), who concurrently serve as officials at the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) in a bribery case.
“All will be evaluated, not only those related to the case, but everything. (It is) because we do not want corruption to occur in important institutions,” Jokowi emphasized.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), on Wednesday (July 26), named Basarnas Head Air Vice Marshall Henri Alfiandi, alias HA, as a suspect for allegedly accepting Rp88.3 billion of bribes in several goods procurement projects at Basarnas during the 2021-2023 period.
Another active TNI officer Lt Col Adm. Afri Budi Cahyanto, who served as Basarnas’ Coordinator of Administration Staff, was also named a suspect in the case.
The KPK has also named three civilians as suspects in the case, namely Chief Commissioner of PT. Multi Graphic Cipta Sejati, Mulsunadi Gunawan; President Director of PT Intertekno Graphic Sejati, Marilya; and President Director of PT Kindah Abadi Utama, Roni Aidil.
The case came to light after investigators of the anti-graft agency conducted an operation on Tuesday (July 25) in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, and Jatisampurna, Bekasi.
However, on Friday (July 28), Deputy Chairman of the KPK Johanis Tanak admitted that his men had erred in determining the TNI officials as suspects in the case.
Tanak made the statement following the visit of TNI spokesperson Rear Admiral Julius Widjojono and Military Police Commander First Marshal Agung Handoko to the KPK building.
Law Number 34 of 2004 concerning the TNI stipulates that civil positions can only be occupied by retired soldiers, except for the positions in the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Presidential Military Secretary, State Intelligence Agency (BIN), the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas), the National Defense Council (Wantanas), Basarnas, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), and the Supreme Court.
The law stipulates that soldiers, who serve in several institutions, including Basarnas, should comply with the administrative provisions that apply in that environment.
The TNI Law also emphasizes that soldiers are only subject to the authority of the military court “in cases of violations of military criminal law.”
Meanwhile, Article 42 of Law No. 30 of 2002 concerning the KPK stipulated that the anti-graft body “has the authority to coordinate and control investigations and prosecutions of corruption which are carried out jointly by persons subject to military courts and general courts.”
In a discussion on the revision of Law Number 34 of 2004, the TNI Headquarters proposed that active soldiers could occupy more positions in ministries and agencies.
They can sit in 18 institutional ministries in addition to other ministries that need them on the grounds that the presence of active soldiers will improve the performance of ministries and institutions.
An additional eight ministries and state agencies are proposed to allow active soldiers to serve as officials, namely the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Presidential Staff, National Agency on Counterterrorism (BNPT), National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Ministry of Home Affairs’ National Border Management Agency (BNPP), Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), and the Attorney General’s Office.
