TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Kurnia Ramadhana – researcher for the antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) – on Thursday called out the General Elections Commission (KPU) chairperson Hasyim Asy'ari over spreading misleading information regarding the regulation overseeing the candidacy of former corruption convicts.

Hasyim previously cited the Constitutional Court's decision Number 87/PUU-XX/2022 to justify the KPU Regulation regarding former corruption convicts being permitted to register and run for DPR, DPRD, and DPD as legislature candidates without passing the 5-year gap period.

The rules contained in PKPU 10/2023 state that one of the requirements for candidates is that they have never been convicted based on a court decision for committing a criminal offense with a prison sentence of 5 years or more. Except, for convicts who commit criminal acts of negligence and political crimes.

Kurnia fears that defendants of corruption cases will hope that the panel of judges will impose an additional punishment of revocation of political rights.

"Because they will not have to wait for the five-year interval as mandated by the Constitutional Court's decision. Doesn't that show a twisted logic?" said Kurnia in his statement, Thursday, May 25.

Kurnia explained that the Constitutional Court's decision stated that the 5-year gap period must be met by any former graft convict, without exception to the additional criminal calculation of the revocation of political rights. Therefore, he said that the KPU's rules had clearly violated the Constitutional Court's decision.

He suspects that the KPU intends to accommodate a group of former corruption convicts to return to the political scene through the 2024 General Election. However, he said ICW along with anti-corruption organizations will act further if the KPU fails to revise this provision.

IMA DINI SHAFIRA | TIKA AYU

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