PKS candidates sign political contracts

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Dozens of legislative candidates from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) in Yogyakarta and Semarang signed on Saturday "political contracts" with the public ahead of the April elections.

The candidates signed contracts promising not to accept bribes or become involved in corruption if elected.

In Yogyakarta, more than 50 candidates signed the political contract in front of a notary public.

The chairman of the party's Yogyakarta provincial executive board, Agus Purnomo, said the idea of signing a political contract came about in response to a loss of public trust in legislators.

Such a political contract with the public is not the first in the country.

A member of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) in the Southeast Sulawesi capital of Kendari recently signed a political contract with his constituents, pledging to fight for their interests and to battle corruption.

According to the organizers of the political contracts in Yogyakarta and Semarang, such contracts are useful because they are binding. If the candidates fail to honor the items of the contract after they are elected, the contract will make it easy for the public to demand their resignations.

Agus said the political contracts could help spur accountability in the Indonesian political system. In the past, the only political contracts were between legislative candidates and political parties, which were plagued by backroom dealing.

"Now, the contracts are made between the candidates and the public in a transparent manner," he said.

The PKS in Yogyakarta, which currently has only one representative in the provincial legislative council, has announced a goal of winning seats in each of the five regency/municipal legislative councils and in the provincial council.

This would require the party to win at least 10 percent of the vote in each of the regental election areas.

In the Central Java capital of Semarang, the chairman of the Central Java chapter of the PKS, Muhammad Afif Ikhwan, said on Saturday the political contracts were aimed at convincing the public that the party would be become involved in crooked politics.

"If they (candidates) are involved in corruption after they are elected, we will dismiss them from their legislative posts," he said.

The political contract in Semarang was signed by PKS legislative candidates in front of a notary public.