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Mohammed Fauzi has been camping out in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission’s office for more than two weeks now, protesting against the involvement of top government officials in graft.

In this interview, Fauzi expresses a gritty resolve that not even the occasional downpour and other harsh outdoor conditions could break.

How long have you guys been camping out in front of the KPK [Corruption Eradication Commission] headquarters?

It’s been exactly 18 days now. We will stay here for 100 days if we have to until the KPK solves these corruption cases.

What’s it like having to live under these circumstances?

We sleep in our tents. We have four of them. It’s quiet at night, so we have no problem sleeping. When it rains, we just stay in our tents and chat. There are showers and a toilet at the back of the building.

What do you guys normally do?

We’re actually students. I study political science at Universitas Islam 45 Bekasi.

How many of you are there?

There are only 20 of us camping out here all day. But in the afternoon, a lot of students from other schools come and join us in what we do. We also hold discussions here.

Do you guys all come from schools here in Jakarta?

No. I come from Bekasi in West Java, so I’m pretty close to home. One of the guys in this tent is from Jakarta. But we have people here from all over. The other guys I share the tent with are from Makassar in South Sulawesi, Lampung in Sumatra and Banda Aceh.

How have the people here responded to your protests?

They’re very supportive. We have boxes, where people often leave donations like money or food. The people who work inside the building haven’t exactly come out to talk to us, but we know that they support what we’re doing out here.

Do you ever get in trouble with the police?

No. The police leave us alone. We don’t bother them, and they don’t bother us.

What made you guys leave your homes and come to Jakarta to air your grievances?

The Bank Century case. We just decided that we had to take action. The House of Representatives and the LPS [Deposit Insurance Agency] said they would give the bank a Rp 1 trillion [$105 million] bailout, and then we learn the figure is actually Rp 6.76 trillion. Where did all that money come from? Bank Indonesia, the LPS and the Ministry of Finance all know what’s going on here.

What do you hope to accomplish? Are there any officials that you want to see dismissed?

We want the case to be investigated. We don’t care about anything else as long as the cash is found. The problem is the Rp 6.76 trillion. We want the KPK to do what its name says in this Bank Century case: solve the corruption case.

In general, what’s your opinion of the KPK?

I think the KPK is good. No one who is corrupt can get away from the KPK, but it never gets enough done. Still, I don’t think that’s entirely the KPK’s fault. It’s always being undermined by other agencies. There’s a contradiction between the KPK and other institutions. The police and the prosecutors resist everything the KPK does.

If the KPK commissioners came out here right now and you could say one thing to them, what would that be?

I’d tell them to hurry up with their investigation of Bank Century and find out who’s responsible for this problem.

Who organized this demonstration?

The LMND [National Student League for Democracy], which has chapters at all of our universities. We used its Web site to organize this protest. LMND volunteers also made the banners hanging up here.

What do you think of the way President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has dealt with the KPK and the situation it’s being confronted with?

I think he’s doing a very poor job. He isn’t supporting the KPK nearly enough. All of us feel that way about him. There aren’t many SBY supporters here.

What do you think of the current conflict between the National Police and the KPK?

There’s no proof that the KPK commissioners are corrupt. This is just a conspiracy by the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office to make Chandra [M Hamzah] and Bibit [Samad Rianto] look bad in the eyes of the public.

Can you give us your version of the events in the bribery case against the KPK?

Anggodo [Widjojo] gave the so-called bribe money to [Ary] Muladi, who sent it to this Yulianto person, who channeled it to Chandra and Bibit. Yulianto wasn’t told where the money had come from; neither was the KPK. Yulianto also didn’t know what was going on. We don’t even know who Yulianto is. That’s the problem with this case.

You’re living on the streets. Do you miss life at home?

No, I don’t. None of us do. We’re all happy to be doing this. We’re content to know that we’re doing our part for the sake of national development. We’re doing the right thing for Indonesia.