Inoculation of graft suspects and families of lawmakers has prompted allegations of favouritism amid shortages in vaccine supplies.

THE inoculation of corruption suspects and families of lawmakers has prompted allegations of favouritism amid shortages in supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine.

After inoculating medical workers in the first phase, the government has rolled out the second phase of its vaccination drive.

Authorities are targeting around 38 million people, including the elderly, athletes and public service and essential workers between February and May.

However, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) recently made headlines for distributing vaccines to graft suspects in its custody. The anti-graft body is currently holding 61 graft suspects in detention centres at and near its headquarters in South Jakarta.

According to the commission’s statement, 39 detainees received their first shot of the vaccine, including former Cabinet ministers Juliari Batubara and Edhy Prabowo.

The KPK arrested then-social affairs minister Juliari in December last year for his alleged role in a graft case pertaining to the distribution of Covid-19 social aid.

Meanwhile, former maritime affairs and fisheries minister Edhy was named a suspect in late November 2020 for allegedly accepting bribes pertaining to lobster larvae export permits.

In a separate statement issued on Thursday, KPK chairman Firli Bahuri said authorities decided to give the detainees the vaccine given the high number of Covid-19 cases among them.

According to the anti-graft body, at least 20 graft suspects held in the detention centres tested positive for the coronavirus.

He argued that the detainees were among the people most vulnerable to contracting and transmitting the virus because they made contact with many people, including investigators, lawyers and detention centre guards.

At the House of Representatives, family members of lawmakers were also named on the vaccine recipient list.

The legislative body has held a vaccination drive for lawmakers, staffers and House internal security officers since Wednesday.

Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) executive Mardani Ali Sera, who received the first dose of the vaccine on Friday, confirmed that the lawmakers’ family members had also received the vaccine. But he added that his wife, who was infected by Covid-19 and had recovered, decided not to get the jab.

When asked the reason for the inclusion of lawmakers’ families in the vaccination programme, he said it was enacted under the House’s secretary-general’s policy.

House secretary-general Indra Iskandar said he referred to a Health Ministry directive before selecting people for the vaccination drive.

Indra went on to say that he decided to include the lawmakers’ family members because “every citizen will be vaccinated eventually”.

“It’s pointless if only the head of the family is vaccinated, leaving other family members exposed,” he said.