NasDem agrees presidential candidates must be party cadres to stay motivated

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chairman of the NasDem Party’s Central Board, Irma Suryani Chaniago, has agreed with the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) proposal that presidential candidates should come from party political cadre systems to ensure cadres have motivation and responsibility. As a party cadre herself, she stated that career progression within the party would encourage cadres to remain loyal to their party. “Of course, as a party cadre, I agree,” Irma said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday. According to her, figures aspiring to become presidential or vice-presidential candidates should first join as party political cadres if they wish to receive support. This way, those figures would have a moral responsibility to their party. In addition, she suggested that there should be cadre development for prospective general chairmen of political parties. However, she assessed that the proposal for general chairmen to serve only two terms would spark debate. “However, it is best to have cadre development so that if something happens to the general chairman, the party can still endure,” she said. Meanwhile, NasDem Party Secretary General Hermawi Taslim stated that his party already has a cadre system through the NasDem Academy of Defending the State (ABN). Every year, he said, NasDem conducts tiered cadre development. “NasDem is perhaps one of the leading parties because from the beginning it has had the Academy of Defending the State (ABN), which serves as the central forge,” said Hermawi. Previously, the KPK recommended revisions to Article 29 of the Political Parties Law, for example, adding to Article 29 paragraph (1) letter a that political party members consist of junior, intermediate, and senior members. Then, requirements for cadres as prospective DPR or DPRD members should be regulated, for instance, prospective DPR members are senior party cadres. Meanwhile, prospective provincial DPRD members are intermediate cadres. In addition, requirements for presidential and vice-presidential candidates or head and deputy regional head candidates, besides being democratic and open, need to include a clause that they come from party cadre systems. The KPK also proposed amending Article 29 of the Political Parties Law to regulate the minimum time requirement for joining a political party before being nominated in general elections.