Political parties tend not to be serious about improving themselves, especially in terms of political recruitment.
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Kompas/Alif Ichwan
Two staffers from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) show banknotes confiscated during the arrest of graft suspects in Central Lampung witnessed by KPK deputy chairman Laode M Syarif in Jakarta on Thursday night. The KPK named three graft suspects and confiscated Rp 1 billion related to a bribery case allegedly involving a local councilor and PT SMI for an infrastructure development project.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The arrest of a number of incumbent candidates ahead of this year’s simultaneous regional elections has highlighted political parties’ failure to produce leadership figures with high integrity. Political parties tend not to be serious about improving themselves, especially in terms of political recruitment and educating their respective members.
The arrests were made to save the 2018 regional elections from corrupt practices such as money politics. “Candidates who are currently regents, mayors and governors must fight fairly so that this celebration of democracy can produce highly qualified leaders with integrity and capability”, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chair Laode M. Syarif said in Jakarta on Thursday (15/2/2018).
On Thursday, the KPK arrested Central Lampung regent Mustafa in Bandar Lampung. Mustafa, who seeks to contest Lampung’s gubernatorial election, has been named a suspect for giving Rp 1 billion (US$74,000) to local legislative councilors.
The bribe was made in connection to a Central Lampung regency plan to borrow Rp 300 billion from PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (SMI) for a local infrastructure project. To secure the loan, Mustafa needed to obtain approval from local councilors, who then asked for Rp 1 billion as a prerequisite. “Based on the regent’s order, Rp 900 million was collected from a contractor and the remaining Rp 100 million was from his administration’s tactical fund”, Laode said.
Prior to arresting Mustafa, the KPK had arrested five Central Lampung councilors and Central Lampung Bina Marga road agency chief Taufik Rahman. Central Lampung legislative council deputy speaker J. Natalis Sinaga and another councilor Rusliyanto were also named suspects.
In the wake of the arrests, PT SMI president director Emma Sri Martini said the company had ceased all processes related to Central Lampung regency’s regional funding proposal. “We will not process the funding facility any further if there is any indication of law violation. Therefore, we have ceased all processes related to Central Lampung regency’s regional funding proposal”, she said.
Fourth arrest
Mustafa is the fourth regional head participating in the 2018 regional elections to be arrested by the KPK in the last month. The three other arrestees were Nyono S Wihandoko, Jombang, East Java regent; Marianus Sae, Ngada, East Nusa Tenggara regent; and Imas Aryumningsih, Subang, West Java regent.
Laode said corruption among regional heads and regional head candidates was a result of high political costs. This is inseparable from political parties’ internal systems.
Indonesia Corruption Watch political corruption division coordinator Donal Fariz said political parties tended to be too complacent about the current situation and refused to change. “The transactional practices related to regional election candidacies are among the reasons for high political costs. On the other hand, there are greedy regional heads seeking to accumulate personal wealth. We also have voters willing to sell their votes in exchange for money. These various factors make it difficult to end regional head corruption”, Donal said.
Nasdem Party secretary general Johnny G. Plate said that Mustafa had said he would be willing to drop out from the Lampung gubernatorial race after he was named a suspect by the KPK. Nasdem, as one of his supporters, has said it would be ready to drop out from the race as well.
This is in line with the Regional Elections Law and article 6 of KPU Regulation No. 3/2017 on regional election candidacy, which stipulates that registered election candidates cannot drop out from the race. However, in certain cases where candidates insist on dropping out, their candidacies will be declared as void and their supporting political parties will not be able to submit replacement candidates.
Golkar Party executive Ace Hasan Syadzily said Golkar would ask its members implicated in corruption cases to drop out from upcoming elections. Currently, two of the party’s election candidates, namely Nyono Suharli Wihandoko and Imas Aryumningsih, have been arrested by the KPK.
The Golkar Party will also put its members who have been arrested by the KPK on leave to protect the party’s public image. “If the party is not firm on its members who are linked to corruption cases, such cases may affect the entire party’s image”, Golkar Party’s Sumatra regional election campaign team deputy chair Ahmad Doli Kurnia said.
