Political contract is needed

Political contract is needed

It is interesting to note that Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK) chief Taufiqurrachman Ruki said that
presidential and vice presidential candidates should sign a
political contract, which would state their readiness -- should
they be elected -- to punish corruptors, including bureaucrats or
their party colleagues.

Although Prof. Ahmad Ali of University of Hasanuddin Makassar
commented that what the KPK needs to do is to hunt corruptors
down -- and not to come with a proposal as it is up to
academicians to do that (Pelita, April 23) -- such a contract is,
I think, badly needed.

Taufiqurrachman and his team are currently investigating 177
alleged corruption cases (The Jakarta Post, April 23).

The political "contract" is actually already in place, if one
could say so. Since the independence of this country, as
required by article 9 of the 1945 Constitution, every president
and vice president are sworn-in before assuming power. The oath
is taken before the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary
session.

What kind of political contract would serve as a precise tool
for corruption eradication? It would not simply comprise a
declaration but would need to be signed. So, if the president and
vice president were to break the contract, they would be held
accountable.

Above all, what the new president and vice president need to
do is to commit to enforcing the law, perhaps using China and
Malaysia as models. This could probably be done by signing the
aforementioned contract before the MPR plenary session, prior to,
or after, the president and the vice president take their oaths.

M. RUSDI
Jakarta