Voters Urged to Dig into Candidates’ Track Record

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Activists of the Anti-Corruption Civil Society Coalition stage a placard demonstration at the headquarters of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Jakarta on Tuesday. They are demanding that the case involving the acid attack on senior KPK investigator Novel Baswedan should be thoroughly investigated and solved.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has announced 49 legislative candidates who are former corruption convicts. The announcement is important for voters to decide whom to choose in the 2019 general election.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS -- The General Elections Commission (KPU) has announced 49 legislative candidates running in the 2019 general election who were also former corruption convicts. Voters are urged to dig into candidates’ track records before exercising their right to vote on April 17, 2019.

Of the 49 candidates-cum-former corruption convicts that the KPU announced, 40 are candidates of provincial, regency and city councils from 12 political parties. The remaining nine are candidates of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) from seven provinces.

KPU chair Arief Budiman said in Jakarta on Wednesday (30/1/2019) that the KPU had validated the data with regional KPUs.

Arief said the KPU made the announcement as a form of its public responsibility to announce any and all information regarding election organizing. “Most importantly, the public should know about this. Whether they wish to vote or not vote for these candidates, the KPU cannot influence them. Let the people make their own decision,” Arief said.

According to Arief, the announcement is in line with Law No. 7/2017 on general elections. The law’s articles 182 and 240 stipulate that the legal status of legislative candidates who are former corruption convicts must be made public.

No objection

Golkar Party secretary-general Lodewijk F. Paulus said the party had no objection to the announcement of names of “problematic candidates”. This, he said, was in line with the party’s commitment to uphold the pacts of integrity that its members had signed.

With regard to the presence of candidates of provincial, regency and city council members who are former corruption convicts, Paulus said the party’s regional chapters were responsible for recruiting regional legislative candidates and that the central board could not intervene.

Gerindra Party executive Ahmad Riza Patria said the party’s central board had no authority in recruiting regional legislative candidates.

Riza said the party would not object to the KPU’s decision to announce the names of problematic candidates. He encouraged the KPU to do the same with executive candidates, such as regional head candidates, in the future. “We support the KPU.

However, we hope that it will announce not only the names of problematic legislative candidates but also those running for executive offices,” he said.

Appreciation

Gadjah Mada University School of Social and Political Sciences lecturer Mada Sukmajati said the KPU should be appreciated for the announcement, which was a concrete implementation of Law No. 7/2017 on general elections.

Civil society groups should disseminate the information to the people, especially in the candidates’ constituencies, Mada said. This way, voters will obtain the necessary information to help them make their choices in the upcoming election.

“Voters have a huge role in determining whether or not former corruption convicts can gain votes in the election. Hopefully, voters will not vote for those with poor track records,” Mada said.

Former KPU member Hadar Nafis Gumay said he responded positively to the announcement. Ideally, the KPU announced the names of legislative candidates who were arrested not only for corruption but also other crimes.

“Many voters have no knowledge on their candidate representatives’ background. This is a good and necessary move for the KPU as it is part of the election organizer’s duty to make such an announcement. The law stipulates that former corruption convicts must announce their legal status. The KPU just reaffirms this stipulation by making the announcement,” Hadar said.

Voters will also benefit from this announcement as it will help them make the right choice. “People must have the information to make informed decisions. Here, [the KPU] just makes it known that the information is available. As election organizer, the KPU must share the information as voters have the right to know,” Hadar said.

Hadar said that, in the past, the KPU could not optimally share background information on all legislative candidates as not all of them were willing to share the information on KPU’s website. (AGE/SPW/REK)