Protest against crooked politicians

BANDUNG: Hundreds of students, youths and activists of non- governmental organizations (NGOs) staged a rally in Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday to protest crooked politicians from West Java who were running for office in the coming elections.

In the rally attended by economist Faisal Basri and singers Franky Sahilatua and Harry Roesli, the protesters named five legislative candidates for whom they said the public should not vote.

Eko Arif Nugroho, the protest coordinator, named the five as Kurdi Mukri, a deputy speaker of West Java provincial council who will contest the election on the United Development Party (PPP) ticket, Udin Koswara, a legislative candidate from the Concern for the Nation Functional Party (PKPB) and Iyos Sumantri, Dede Achmad Zaini and Dadang Naser. The last three are the legislative candidates from the Golkar Party.

All five have been named suspects in graft cases.

Faisal Basri, the chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the Indonesian Movement (KPPI), said the committee would make public the complete list of crooked legislative candidates.

"We are ready to face lawsuits from those legislative candidates, should it come to that," he said. -- JP