Presiden Prabowo Subianto’s plan to build a prison for corruptors on a remote island has recently made headlines. The Minister of Law and Human Rights, Agus Andrianto, revealed three potential locations for this initiative during a special remission event for Nyepi and Idul Fitri at Cibinong Penitentiary, Bogor, on Friday (28/3). The candidate locations include West Java, East Java, and Kalimantan.
Agus stated, “I would like to inform you that the President aspires to construct a modern, super-maximum security penitentiary on a remote island. We are currently selecting the most suitable locations for this facility.” He further mentioned that one location has been secured in West Java, while requests have been made for additional sites in East Java and Kalimantan, in coordination with the Minister of Forestry. The final decision on the location will be based on President’s instructions.
Agus emphasized that the upcoming prison will have maximum security measures. This plan was initially announced by Prabowo during the launch of regional civil servant teacher allowances at the Ministry of Education and Culture in Central Jakarta on March 13.
In response to the President’s plan, researcher Zaenur Rohman from Gadjah Mada University’s Corruption Studies Center (Pukat) questioned the deterrence effectiveness of isolating corruptors on remote islands. Zaenur believes that to combat corruption, besides physical imprisonment, the government should focus on enacting laws for asset recovery and imposing high fines on offenders to cripple their economic motives.
Zaenur highlighted the need for legal reforms, including amending the Anti-Corruption Law to address illicit enrichment, revising the Corruption Eradication Law to enforce substantial fines, and introducing a Bill on Asset Seizure to confiscate assets within the country that belong to fleeing culprits.
