'Presidential candidates must declare wealth'

'Presidential candidates must declare wealth'

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Factions in the House of Representatives (DPR) should insert an
article in the presidential elections bill that will oblige
candidates to disclose their assets as a requirement before
contesting the presidential election next year.

The disclosure of the candidates' assets would help improve
transparency and in turn reduce the possibility of corruption in
the future, according to Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro)
director Hadar N. Gumay.

"We want transparency from the very beginning. If something
improper happens, the public will know it immediately," Hadar
told The Jakarta Post here on Sunday.

The existing bill on the presidential and vice presidential
elections, currently being debated in the House of
Representatives, does not require candidates to declare their
wealth.

Among the requirements set by the bill are for presidential
candidates to have at least a senior high school certificate,
never have been jailed for treason, be at least been 40 years of
age, reside in Indonesia, and not be a suspect or have been
convicted in a crime that carries a five-year jail term.

Two legislators, one from the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and one from the Golkar Party -- the
largest and second largest parties respectively -- expressed
their support for the proposed insertion of an article requiring
candidates to declare their wealth.

Zaenal Arifin of the PDI Perjuangan disclosed that his faction
would likely propose the requirement that presidential candidates
declare their wealth.

"We will make this issue a proposal during the deliberation of
the bill. State officials must declare their wealth. That is the
rule," Zaenal told the Post.

Legislator Rully Chairul Azwar of Golkar said he would be
happy if the obligation for a candidate to declare his wealth be
incorporated into the bill.

Rully added that the stipulation would help the public
scrutinize the initial assets of presidential candidates.

Responding to the rule that only political parties collecting
at least 20 percent of the vote would be allowed to nominate
presidential and vice presidential candidates, Zaenal and Rully
said that the threshold should be lowered to allow more parties
to nominate candidates.

Earlier, vice chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN)
Abdillah Toha said that the stipulation was undemocratic.

Meantime, the House special committee to deliberate the
presidential election bill will only start its work on Monday.

The first item of business will be to hear a brief explanation
of the bill from Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno.

All nine factions are scheduled to present their comments on
the bill, which is being submitted by the ministry.