Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) held a theatrical action in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) red-and-white building in South Jakarta on Monday January 15 to mark the four years that bribery suspect Harun Masiku has been on the run.
Masiku is a former ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) senior politician who is alleged to have bribed a General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner.
However he has been on the run since he was named a suspect by the KPK on January 9, 2020, and is currently on the police's wanted persons list (DPO).
During the action, several ICW members put up posters of Masiku's face with the words "Still Missing" on the KPK building sign.
The ICW members also wore masks with the face of the four KPK commissioners, namely Johanis Tanak, Nurul Ghufron, Alexander Marwata and Nawawi Pomolango, while one other person wore a mask of Masiku's face.
The five people then blew out the candles on a birthday cake with the words "Suddenly 4 years".
In addition to this, they also held up posters containing critical messages and protests that read, "Is the KPK is afraid of being rammed by a bull?" (referring to the PDI-P logo of a bull) and "If you don't want or are unable to catch the fugitive better to resign".
ICW researcher Kurnia Ramadhana said that through the action they wanted to convey that right from the start the KPK did not want Masiku to be arrested because the case allegedly involves other high-level officials from a certain political party.
"We do indeed suspect that from the start the KPK leadership did not want Harun Masiku to be arrested because there are [other] political party officials [implicated in the case]", said Ramadhana.
The Masiku bribery case began when a KPK team conducted a sting operation on January 8, 2020 that resulted in the arrest of eight people. Four people were subsequently declared suspects.
The four suspects were KPU commissioner Wahyu Setiawan, former Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) member Agustiani Tio Fridelina, senior PDI-P member Saeful Bahri and Masiku.
Masiku however escaped arrest and the last time the KPK investigation team had information on his whereabouts he was believed to be in the vicinity of the Police Sciences College (PTIK) in South Jakarta.
Masiku was then placed on the DPO in 2020 and to this day has yet to be caught.
He is alleged to have bribed Setiawan and Fridelina so that he would be declared the winner of a bi-election in the South Sumatra I electoral district to replace lawmaker Nazarudin Kiemas, who had died. (PAW).
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "ICW Pakai Topeng Pimpinan KPK dan Harun Masiku, Tiup Kue 4 Tahun Buron".]
