Democrat Prepares Integrity Pact for Regional Head Candidates

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Democrat Party has prepared an integrity pact which would be signed by the party's candidates for the regional elections to be held on December 9 this year.

"Candidates may not always be party cadres but we have prepared an integrity pact to be signed by them," the chairman of the party's board of patrons, EE Mangindaan, said on the sideline of the party's leadership meeting on Sunday.

He did not specifically tell details of the pact but he said with it candidates could determine whether or not they could follow the party's line.

"At least it will help the Democrat Party. It must not happen that candidates later after being elected forget it," he said.

Mangindaan said candidates would come from branches and would later be accommodated by regional chapters before they were submitted to the central executive board.

Regarding candidates for provincial governors and vice governors he said that they would be referred to the party's Supreme Council which is headed by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for selection.

With regard to the possibility of cadres paying money in order to be named candidates the party's deputy secretary general Ikhsan Modjo, said he believed no one would dare do it.

"To my knowledge no one would dare do it because if it is found he/she would certainly be fired by SBY (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono)," he said.

He said cadres who wished to run had to pass selection done by party's branch, regional chapter and central executive board involving five survey institutes.

Ikhsan who would run for South Tangerang mayoralty said the party has already had the criteria for determining candidates.

"We indeed prioritize cadres but decision will also be made upon their electability and others," he said.

Regarding the integrity pact he said it was a preventive measure to assure that the candidates really have integrity.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is the country's former president, inducted the party's board members for the period of 2015-2020 on Saturday.

The ceremony was followed by a national leadership meeting during which they would discuss candidates for the elections of provincial governors, district heads and city mayors later on December 9.

ANTARA