Legislators grill KPK aspirants<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Reporters could not hide their consternation on Friday when they
\nheard a question posed by a legislator conducting a field check
\non a candidate of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).<\/p>\n
"Do you have a mistress?" legislator Tunggal L. Tobing of
\nHouse Commission II asked aspirant M. Yamin at his residence in
\nPejompongan, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Yamin, who obviously did not expect to entertain such a
\nquestion, replied abruptly, "I have none Pak."<\/p>\n
Not convinced with Yamin's answer, Tobing, a legislator from
\nthe Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
\nturned to his wife, Andi Suwarni, who was sitting next to Yamin
\nin the living room of their modest home.<\/p>\n
"As far as I know, he has none. He is an honest person," the
\n50-year-old woman told the legislator, who was accompanied by
\nfellow lawmaker Sjaiful Rachman of the United Development Party
\n(PPP).<\/p>\n
Tunggal, apparently catching on that Yamin, his wife and the
\nreporters present were baffled by his arbitrary question,
\nrepeatedly stressed that his question was nothing personal and
\nthat House Commission II in charge of legal and home affairs had
\ninstructed him to raise that particular question.<\/p>\n
Yamin, a prosecutor who has been in the civil service since
\n1965, is one of the 10 candidates vying for a post in the planned
\nanticorruption body.<\/p>\n
Tobing and Sjaiful inquired on Thursday as to Yamin's health
\nand his relationship with his wife, children and neighbors, as
\nwell as his colleagues.<\/p>\n
The 59-year-old man's wealth was also their concern, and
\nTobing walked through Yamin's house, which had flooded last year.<\/p>\n
Yamin showed the legislator the small house, belonging to the
\nAttorney General's Office, in which he and his family have been
\nliving since 1985.<\/p>\n
After an hour of the scrutiny, Tobing asked the couple for a
\ntapak dara plant, claiming he had diabetes. The plant is
\ntraditionally known for its medicinal properties to treat the
\ndisease.<\/p>\n
The team of legislators that visited Yamin is one of five
\nteams set up by Commission II to investigate the candidates,
\nannounced commission chairman A. Teras Narang at a press
\nconference on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The teams' investigation reports would be used by the House to
\nscreen the 10 candidates on Monday and Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Sjaiful said the questions directed at Yamin were based on the
\nCommission's guidelines.<\/p>\n
"All teams must comply with the guidelines, but perhaps other
\nlegislators would use different ways in questioning the other
\ncandidates," he told reporters.<\/p>\n
The four remaining teams visited the residences of Erry Riyana
\nHardjapamekas, Marsillam Simanjuntak, Iskandar Sonhadji, Tumpak
\nHatorangan Panggabean, Syarifudin Rasul, Taufikurrahman Ruki and
\nChairul Imam.<\/p>\n
The last two candidates, Momo Kelana and Amien Sunaryadi,
\nwould be paid a visit on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The visit appears to be a response to the public's earlier
\ndisappointment in the nomination process run by the government's
\nKPK selection committee, which was criticized for not being
\ntransparent.<\/p>\n
Observers have also repeatedly raised concerns that
\nlegislators would fail to be independent and objective in
\nselecting the candidates due to political interests.<\/p>\n
Recently, the Attorney General's Office released the names of
\n180 councillors across the country who are suspects in corruption
\ncases.<\/p>\n
Said to be a "super body", the KPK has the authority to
\ninvestigate corruption cases and prosecute suspected corrupters,
\nwhich currently falls within the separate jurisdictions of the
\npolice and prosecutors.<\/p>\n
The KPK, the establishment of which has been postponed several
\ntimes since 1999, also has the power to take over corruption
\ncases from police and prosecutors.<\/p>\n
After the screening process, the House is to select five of
\nthe 10 candidates to form the KPK executive board. The five
\nexecutive board members are to be inaugurated by the President on
\nDec. 27.<\/p>",
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