Koster urges Bali officials’ families to join frontline against corruption

Denpasar — Bali Governor Wayan Koster has urged provincial officials and their spouses to treat the household as a frontline of integrity in efforts to prevent corruption, speaking at a Family Integrity training session organised by Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Denpasar on Wednesday, 16 September 2026.

The Bimbingan Teknis (technical training) on the Family Integrity Programme was held at the Wiswa Sabha Utama building at the governor’s office and opened by KPK Director of Community Participation Development Ibnu Basuki Widodo, alongside Koster and Bali provincial secretary Dewa Made Indra, according to local reports.

The session was attended by heads of Bali’s provincial agencies together with their partners as part of a broader collaboration between KPK and the provincial administration to embed anti-corruption values within officials’ family environments.

Families as a bulwark against corruption

In his remarks, Koster said corruption prevention could not rely solely on strengthening government systems and formal oversight, but must begin in the family as the first setting where character, honesty and integrity are formed, according to Balipost and other local outlets.

He described the household as the “upstream” of life and stressed that husbands and wives should build open communication and mutually supervise one another so that economic pressures and lifestyle demands do not push family members towards unlawful behaviour.

Koster also encouraged the Family Integrity Programme to reach not only civil servants but employees in the private sector and the wider community, positioning families as a foundation for corruption prevention through everyday habits and mutual oversight.

Financial discipline and governance reforms

The governor linked integrity to responsible personal and household financial management, urging officials to ensure that their standard of living does not exceed their income and warning that excessive, status-driven lifestyles can increase the risk of corrupt behaviour.

He said the provincial government was pursuing bureaucratic reform and strengthening internal safeguards through measures such as merit-based appointments, clearer procedures in promotions and procurement, and expanding digital public services to reduce opportunities for abuse.

According to Koster, digitalisation of services is intended to narrow the space for irregular payments and improve transparency in dealings with the public, although he cautioned that technology and administrative rules will be ineffective if officials themselves lack integrity.

KPK’s family-focused approach

Ibnu Basuki Widodo highlighted the role of the family as the primary social environment in which values such as honesty, modesty, responsibility and concern for others are shaped, warning that pressures arising from high lifestyle expectations can become a driver of corruption.

He said partners of office holders have significant influence on whether household economic behaviour remains within legal and ethical boundaries, and described the Family Integrity Programme as part of KPK’s public education strategy, alongside prevention and enforcement.

During the event, KPK presented data on corruption cases handled by the commission, breaking down suspects and convicted offenders by profession or position, institution and modus operandi since its establishment. The figures were used to illustrate how vulnerabilities can arise across different sectors and how family and institutional safeguards are both needed.

Broader anti-corruption agenda

Koster framed the training as consistent with Bali’s wider anti-corruption agenda, which combines institutional reforms, digitalisation of public services and character building within families.

He reiterated that the provincial administration aims to strengthen clean and accountable governance while promoting a culture of modest, financially disciplined living among officials and their families, with the Family Integrity Programme serving as one of the tools to reinforce those values.

Sources

• Balipost.com
• NusaBali.com
• Kabar Bali Satu
• Balipustakanews