Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) yesterday named Rita Widyasari, regent of Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, a graft suspect for allegedly receiving unlawful gratuities while in office.
Some might call this incredibly ironic, given that Rita was scheduled to receive an anti-corruption award from a government budget monitoring agency in South Tangerang today.
In an invitation for the ceremony, which was picked up by Tribun, the award is described as “given to regional heads or law enforcers for great service in carrying out President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s Mental Revolution and Nawacita programs in eradicating corruption in the Unitary State of Indonesia.”
The KPK said they have not arrested Rita and they are due to hold a press conference explaining the details of her being named a graft suspect later today. It remains to be seen if Rita could, or would still want to, receive her anti-corruption award.
Rita is a popular politician in Kutai Kartanegara, with her youthful exuberance and love of rock music making her particularly endearing to the young people of the regency. She has also received several awards from the state for good governance.
However, her political background has always been tainted with corruption. Her father, Syaukani Hasan Rais, was also the regent of Kutai Kartanegara but had his second term cut short in 2007 after he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for corruption. Just like her father, Rita was named graft suspect after she was nominated to run for governor of East Kalimantan, with the next election happening in 2018.
Rita is not the only graft suspect in recent times to have also won (or nearly won) clean governance awards. In June, the KPK arrested Bengkulu Governor Ridwan Mukti, recipient of a “Noble Morals Award”, over allegations that he received bribes through his wife.
