'Rotten politicians' to be announced by March 11
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Members of the movement to ban contemptible candidates are planning to publish the names of politicians with rotten records by March 11 at the latest to help voters identify the quality of their representatives on election day April 5.
Meanwhile, political scientist Mochtar Pabottingi and Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid called on educated people to inform the public to vote only for candidates with good track records.
Munir, from the human rights watchdog Imparsial, said on Thursday that he and his fellow activists had prepared a newspaper-style list of unscrupulous politicians.
"We have finished 70 percent of our data. We plan to publish it no later than March 11," Munir said.
The campaign period for the April 5 legislative election will also begin on March 11 and run through April 1.
According to Munir, the list will consist of two columns -- the first column with the names, their political parties and what position they are running for, while the second column will have their track records.
He added that they would publish such things as involvement in corruption, human rights abuses, environmental destruction, domestic violence and illegal drugs.
Smita Notosusanto of the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) confirmed the plan, saying the publication would be a good voter education tool, as most media groups have apparently not seen the need to follow up on such stories as a service to the public.
"We want to refresh the voters' memories. We've been compiling the politicians' records from past newspaper and magazine accounts. So everything is already a matter of public record and thus can't be used in a lawsuit," she told The Jakarta Post.
Smita said, however, that they had a team of lawyers at the ready.
She added that the publication would vary from one electoral district to another.
The movement has stayed true to its goal of letting the public know about all of society's leeches currently posing as candidates. Earlier, movement leaders said that they would issue a list frankly declaring all those deemed unfit for public office.
The planned publication will carry a heading that reads: Are these people eligible to represent us?
Munir said the movement would print about 100,000 copies and distribute them to the press and the public at large at no cost.
Politicians placed on the list for Jakarta's two electoral districts would be from the six old parties and at least two of the newly established parties, Munir added.
The six old parties are the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party (PAN), and the Crescent Star Party (PBB).
The two new parties are the Concern for the Nation Functional Party (PKPB) and the Democratic Party.
Moctar Pabottingi of the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) said during a seminar that voters must make accurate choices in elections, otherwise their representatives could all end up being anti-reformasi.
He added that this year's election could become a turning point for political change.
"We must not only be against the unscrupulous politicians, but also against the rotten political parties," Mochtar said during the seminar at Atma Jaya University on Thursday.
Nurcholish said voters must be given information and warnings from the very beginning to make them aware of their political choices in order to improve democracy in the country.