Presidential candidates must declare assets: NGOs<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Coordinator of Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) Teten Masduki
\nand senior member of the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro)
\nHadar N. Gumay criticized the bill on presidential and vice
\npresidential elections for its failure to compel candidates to
\ndeclare their assets before running for the presidency.<\/p>\n
Teten said a president who led the nation had to have a high
\nstandard of integrity that could be measured from his or her
\nwealth before, during and after taking office.<\/p>\n
\"Requirements for candidates to declare assets must be
\ninserted into the bill,\" Teten said here on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Hadar added the requirement for presidential candidates to
\ndeclare assets would enable the entire nation to know if the
\nelected president had stolen state funds for self-enrichment.<\/p>\n
Both Teten and Hadar were commenting on the presidential
\nelection bill prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which
\nwill soon be presented to the House of Representatives (DPR) for
\ndeliberation.<\/p>\n
The bill stipulates that presidential and vice presidential
\ncandidates must not be former members of the outlawed Indonesian
\nCommunist Party (PKI) or its subsidiary organizations.<\/p>\n
It also says that candidates must have no criminal convictions
\ninvolving a sentence of at least five years in jail.<\/p>\n
The bill also requires that candidates should not have been
\ndeclared a suspect in a criminal action which carried a five-year
\njail term if found guilty.<\/p>\n
Like requirements for other positions, candidates must have
\nfaith in God, be of good health, have loyalty to the state
\nideology, Pancasila, and be able to speak, read, and write the
\nIndonesian language.<\/p>\n
However, there is no requirement for candidates to declare
\ntheir assets.<\/p>\n
\"The lack of obligation to declare assets indicates the
\nweakness of the bill,\" Teten said.<\/p>\n
He added the lack of compulsion to declare assets showed that
\nthe established powers intended to maintain their grip on power
\nby whatever means. It also showed there was no political will on
\nbehalf of national leaders to eradicate corruption.<\/p>\n
Hadar, meantime, said his call for the inclusion of an assets
\ndeclaration by presidential and vice presidential candidates was
\ndesigned to prevent abuse of power once candidates had won the
\nelections.<\/p>\n
\"We don't want state leaders to misuse power to enrich
\nthemselves. We should create a good control mechanism, starting
\nwith asset declaration,\" Hadar added.<\/p>\n
Both Teten and Hadar pledged they would campaign for the
\ninclusion of requirements for presidential and vice presidential
\ncandidates to declare their assets.<\/p>\n
In addition, Hadar suggested that all presidential candidates
\nshould be required to lodge a deposit with the General Elections
\nCommission before running for the presidency to show their
\nseriousness.<\/p>\n
\"The deposit would be used to determine which candidates were
\nserious and which weren't,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The deposits held by the commission would be returned to the
\ncandidates after the election.<\/p>\n
Hadar said that there ought to be further discussion on the
\namount of money specified for that purpose.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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