Several KPK candidates questionable, NGO says
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Coalition of the Judiciary Observers has lashed out at the committee selecting candidates for seats on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), for choosing figures with questionable track records.
Asep Fajar Purnama of the coalition said at least half of the 40 candidates who qualified for the next selection stage were known to have close relations with allegedly corrupt high profile figures or convicts.
One of the qualifiers, Asep said, is a prosecutor-turned- lawyer, who is now representing House Speaker Akbar Tandjung in his appeal to the Supreme Court.
Akbar was convicted of graft and sentenced to a three year prison term by the Central Jakarta District Court, a verdict which has been upheld by the Jakarta High Court.
Another dubious qualifier, a former prosecutor, had been dismissed for violating the code of conduct.
"How come they passed those candidates, while respected candidates failed simply because their essays were considered to be poor?" Asep said. "Writing an essay is a debatable requirement as candidates could ask someone else to do it for them."
The selection committee had earlier promised to refuse candidates linked with corruption cases, or who were suspected corruptors.
Asep said the selection committee had failed to listen to the public. Moreover they seemed to lack the motivation to check candidates' records.
"They only wait for public response. Why didn't they seek records from the Public Officials Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) or the National Land Agency (BPN)?" Asep said. KPKPN will be dissolved after the KPK is established.
However, Asep acknowledged that the selection committee had picked some reputable candidates, including chairman of the Transparency International Indonesia (TII) Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, Partnership for Governance Reform activist Bambang Widjojanto, lawyers Iskandar Sonhadji and Abdul Ficar Hadjar, and legal expert Achmad Ali.
Earlier this week, 40 out of 218 candidates vying for posts on the commission, passed the second screening. Their names were published for public scrutiny.
Committee chairman, Romli Atmasasmita, had called on the public to respond to the selection process.
The remaining aspirants are required to undergo a personal assessment test on Dec. 1, and an interview, which is open to the public, on Dec. 8. The committee will finally choose five people to sit on the KPK executive body.
According to Law No 30/2001 on the Corruption Eradication Commission, the KPK executive board must be inaugurated by the President by Dec. 27, this year.
The government has taken more than two years to form the anticorruption commission. Many critics say this is a reflection of its lackluster fight against corruption.
KPK is dubbed a "super body" for its authority to investigate corruption cases and prosecute alleged corrupters, powers that are currently the privilege of the police and prosecutors. KPK is also authorized to take over the investigation of corruption cases from the police and prosecutors.