ICW to show evidence of corrupt candidates

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Corruption Watch is to submit to the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Thursday a list of corrupt legislative candidates and evidence of their alleged wrongdoings.

The body's coordinator, Teten Masduki, handed to KPU chairman Rudini in a meeting on Monday a set of criteria for good candidates drawn up by the corruption body. He also suggested in the meeting that political parties and the KPU evaluate and, if necessary, replace candidates with poor track records.

Teten said there was still ample time before the new legislative councils, at the national, regional and local levels, are installed.

"We think there is still a possibility for the KPU and the political parties to evaluate and judge the legislative candidates," Teten told reporters after the meeting.

"Today we only presented (Rudini) with the criteria but on Thursday we will come back with names and evidence of some candidates who have poor track records," he said, adding that the criteria will also be presented to the political parties contesting the June 7 elections.

If the national vote count, scheduled to begin on Tuesday, is completed as scheduled, the new members of the regency legislative councils nationwide will be installed from July 26 to July 29.

The new members of the provincial councils will be installed from Aug. 19 until Aug. 28, while members of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) from Oct. 1 until Oct. 3.

Another ICW official, Irma Hutabarat, said the proposed criteria included that legislative candidates be free of criminal and corruption charges. In addition, they should not have any position in government offices or any business relations with the government.

"Any ties with the government will create conflicts of interest which may adversely affect their performance," she said.

Undereducated

Meanwhile, political observer Ichlasul Amal, rector of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, said the public should not expect new House members to produce new legislation. He said they should concentrate on reviewing outdated laws.

"We should not expect them to be able to produce new laws as there are lots of outdated ones to be reviewed," he told reporters last week.

"The most important (duty) for them, however, is exercising control over the executive branch of power in order to prevent abuses," he said.

Amal said he doubted the future legislators would be able to respond to the people's aspirations because many of them are poorly educated.

"It's not impossible that there will be some who won't even know where to put their signatures (on documents). Then, how can we expect them to think about matters such as (state) budgeting, which is the most difficult task for the legislators to do?"

Amal suggested that the current legislative candidates be given training before they take up their new duties as people's representatives. "They (should be trained) to be active during hearing time, rather than sleeping away the sessions." (imn/swa)