TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) revealed that 48 legislative candidates for 2014-2019 are implicated in a number of corruption cases.
Out of the 48 names, 26 people are due about to assume positions in the City and Regencies Regional Legislative Councils (DPRD II), while 17 is slated to become members of the Provincial Regional Legislative Councils (DPRD II). 32 people have been named as suspects in corruption cases, 15 are defendants in court, while one person has been convicted.
"Not only are they representing the people, they are also an integral part of the policy-making process. If the state chooses to go ahead an inaugurate them, it could be detrimental to our society," said ICW Coordinator Ade Irawan, in a press conference at ICW's headquarters in Jakarta on Monday, September 15, 2014.
ICW is monitoring chosen legislative candidates who will soon assume offices in the People's Representative Council (DPR), DPRD I and DPRD II throughout Indonesia. Out of the 48 names that it has on record, many are defendants in an ongoing trial for a corruption case - some are subject to an ongoing investigation, but a number of names have been charged by the Jakarta's Corruption Court, or even the Supreme Court (MA) and placed under state custody.
The number of elected legislative candidates with ties to a corruption case in 2014 is higher than the previous period in 2009 - where only six legislative candidates who played roles in corruption cases won in the elections and became re-elected.
Sorted by order of their political parties, the Demokrat Party has the highest number of cadres who became re-elected despite having been implicated in corruption scandal, with 13 members, followed by Indonesia's Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Golkar, with 10 members each.
Five PKB politicians were re-elected in 2014 despite their links to corruption cases, while the Great Indonesia Movement (GERINDRA) and People's Conscience Party (HANURA) have three members each. The United Development Party (PPP) has two, while one National Mandate Party (PAN) is re-elected despite ties to corruption cases.
Based on their findings, Ade believes that there is a flaw in the political parties' recruitment processes.
"The recruitment requirement is weak, reflected by their choice of candidates which have little integrity and electability. Parties only chose people with money - so in a way it was political parties who started the whole money politics game," said Ade.
According to Ade, political parties need to firmly discipline its' members who are implicated in corruption cases. "Parties should have known better than to allow them to run again instead of replacing them," he said.
Ade added that the inauguration of the 48 legislative candidates which are involved in corruption cases may negatively impact the public's perception of the DPR. Ministry of Home Affairs data showed that as per 2014, 3,169 legislators in Indonesia has been implicated in corruption cases between 2004-2014.
ANTARANEWS
