TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bambang Widjojanto, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman, said that the House of Representatives' (DPR) right to elect the leaders of the KPK and the Judicial Commission, should be revoked. Bambang said that the authority to elect a KPK leader was against the constitution and threatened the agency's independence.

"The recruitment process of an independent state agency must not be potentially influenced by politics if the executive and legislative agencies are involved," said Bambang, during a session reviewing the laws on the Judicial Commission and the KPK at the Constitutional Court, yesterday.

As of this month, said Bambang citing one example, 74 politicians who were involved in corruption case had been indicted. The number can increase if corruption cases handled by the police and the Supreme Court are added. As such, the task of the anti-corruption agency could be affected if its leaders were to be selected by DPR members. "Eradicating corruption interferes with the interests," he added.

Edy Suandi Hamid, Indonesia Islamic University rector who suggested that the laws on the Judicial Commission Law and the KPK undergo a judicial review, shared the same opinion. He said that the DPR authority to elect the leaders of the KPK and the Judicial Commission would affect the independence of both agencies. "The constitution only authorizes the legislator to approve," he said, in his written opinion.

Bambang confirmed Edy's statement and said that, 'the DPR only has the right to agree or not, but not to elect."

FRANSISCO ROSARIANS | INDRA WIJAYA