KPK Proposal for Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates from Party Cadres Deemed Mistaken, Narrows Democracy

The proposal by the KPK for presidential and vice-presidential candidates to be mandatory party cadres is deemed mistaken. Rather than strengthening democracy, the discourse is seen as narrowing the birth of leaders amid the ongoing crisis of public trust in political parties.

This was stated by legal and political observer Pieter C Zulkifli in response to the proposal. Pieter even considers the idea dangerous for Indonesia’s democracy.

“The idea has the potential to narrow the space for alternative leaders to emerge amid the unresolved crisis of public trust in political parties,” said Pieter in his statement, Jakarta, Tuesday, 12 May 2026.

The proposal is not considered dangerous without reason. For him, the history of political parties so far has shown rampant corruption practices.

“When political parties become fields of corruption, the KPK’s proposal for presidential candidates to be mandatory party cadres sounds ironic and dangerous,” he said.

He also revealed that the KPK’s proposal for presidential candidates, vice-presidential candidates, and regional heads to be mandatory party cadres raises serious questions about the direction of Indonesian democracy.

According to him, the idea floated in April 2026 is indeed packaged with the intention of improving political governance and preventing corruption. However, he said, behind that spirit lies a fundamental question, namely whether party membership automatically guarantees a leader’s integrity.

“That question is important to pose because the history of Indonesian politics shows the opposite reality. Many regional heads, ministers, DPR members, and party elites caught in corruption cases come from party cadre processes,” he said.

“This means corruption does not arise because someone is outside the party, but because of a weak political system and oversight. In that context, the KPK’s proposal feels like simplifying a major problem into just a matter of party membership cards,” he added.

Pieter then quoted the English political philosopher, Lord Acton, who once warned ‘Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. Where power tends to corrupt, and absolute power breeds absolute corruption.

“That quote is relevant for reading today’s issues. The main problem of Indonesian democracy is not whether leaders come from parties or non-parties, but how power is supervised and limited,” he said.