Why KPK is Doomed to Fail

In another words, maybe KPK is winning the battle (though I am not convinced), but it is undeniable that we are currently losing the war. Maybe KPK is winning, but it is fighting a defensive battle. Whatever the outcome of the battle, the best thing it can get is just to hold its ground and survive. Considering the nature of corruptions in Indonesia, only fools would hold on to the hope that one day KPK would be able to overcome that problem.

KPK is more like a mascot rather than a panacea. For me, KPK for Indonesians is important for two main reasons. First, its existence is important mainly to symbolize our commitment to fight corruption back. It is an embodiment of our widely shared commitment to make this country’s governing body professional. Secondly, we need (and love) heroes and KPK is there as a personification of those figure.

It is not necessarily those effective, but who cares? All we want is just to see some heroic acts. And how could we notice that anyway? After all, we are more of a violent than scientific society. We are obsessed with revolution and demonstration – all sorts of heroism – rather than learning and thinking. We are obsessed with getting on to the street and chanting ‘pro-people slogan’ while having limited to no idea of what it is. In short, our intention is noble, we have a good-dose of energy and enthusiasm, yet shallow intellectualism I am afraid.

I believe that KPK is currently on a long march to the (avoidable) defeat unless the structural side of Indonesia’s corruption problem is addressed soon enough – unfortunately, it can never be a fast process to address something structural. And our failure to address it all comes down to one long overdue problem: failure to acknowledge that this problem is a cultural one, that it is not endemic in the government, but in the whole nation.

Written by: Zidny Ilman. The writer is the coordinator of Indonesia Berbicara's Pusat Kajian (Research Center).