KPK candidates to face test of integrity

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As many as 40 aspirants for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) executive body are slated to compete to pass the profile assessment test on Saturday, which is part of a series of examinations to net five people to lead the body.

Only half of the candidates will make the grade to vie for the last test, an interview that will be open to the public on Dec. 4.

The third test is important because it supposedly screens the integrity and the capability of the candidates to combat corruption, a widespread occurrence across the country.

Two independent companies -- PT Dunamis Inter Master and PT Daya Dimensi Indonesia -- have been assigned to conduct the test. The companies have earlier conducted a similar test for the latest recruitment of state prosecutors, which was also assisted by the non-governmental organization Partnership for Government Reform.

The companies conduct written and oral tests for the candidates. They are expected to rank the candidates based on the aspirants' merit during the tests.

However, the outcome of the test is only a recommendation for the KPK selection committee, which has the authority either to accept or ignore the test results.

Asep Rahmat Fajar, the coordinator of the Coalition of Judiciary Observers, warned that the selection committee must use the test results to screen the candidates.

"Otherwise the test would be useless because the committee may choose a candidate who has a questionable performance," he said on Friday.

Asep pointed to the fact that the committee had ignored the investigative report by the coalition about the track records of the candidates.

Several candidates with questionable track records combating corruption are among the 40 to undergo the third test on Saturday.

The selection committee, Asep said, must be transparent and fair in revealing the test results to the public.

"The KPK is a super body. The committee is responsible to select candidates with integrity, if the country is serious to phase out corruption practices here," he said.

According to law No. 30/2001 on the Corruption Eradication Commission, the KPK executive board must be inaugurated by the president by Dec. 27.

The KPK has the authority to investigate corruption cases and prosecute alleged corrupters, powers that are currently the privilege of police and prosecutors.

The KPK, whose establishment has been postponed several times since 1999, is also granted with powers to take over the investigation of corruption cases by police and state prosecutors.

Many expected that the KPK would be able to boost the country's drive against rampant corruption practices.

No significant achievement has been made since the country declared war against corruption at the beginning of the reform movement in 1997.

Indonesia has been ranked recently by he World Economic Forum (WEF) at number 60 out of a total 102 countries surveyed in terms of business competitiveness.

According to the forum, rampant corruption and ineffective bureaucracy are the two most important factors behind the country's low ranking.

A survey by Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) has put Indonesia as the sixth most corrupt country in the world with a Corruption Perception Index of 1.9, with the highest or cleanest score being 10.

Last year Indonesia ranked fourth among 122 countries surveyed with a corruption index of 1.9.

The seemingly hopeless effort to combat corruption has resulted in the recent move by two largest Muslim organizations in the country, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah respectively, to start a moral movement against corruption.