ICW to show evidence of corrupt candidates

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concentrate on reviewing outdated laws.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there are lots of outdated ones to be reviewed," he told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)