Ex-graft Prisoner Must Not Run in Legislative Election: KPK

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) would support the plan of the General Election Commission (KPU) to ban former prisoners in corruption cases to become legislative candidates in the election. The idea was not something new for KPK.

"Basically, we support the regulation that ban, for instance legislative candidate, that involved in the corruption case. I think I have conveyed the idea once, before the KPU did," KPK chief Agus Rahardjo said on Tuesday.

According to Agus, the commission would discuss the issue further with the KPU. "We will discuss this with the KPU, what kind of support they might need, so that together we can voice the need for the country to be managed by executive and legislative members with good integrity," he said.

Agus disclosed that the anti-graft body and KPU has earlier discussed the issue during an event in Surabaya city of East Java. "In fact, we have discussed it, but we will talk further about this, to enable KPK to give its support in a proper time," he added.

Earlier on Monday, KPU said it would ban former prisoners in corruption cases, drug, and sexual abuse to become legislative contestants in the election, and it would add a new article in the KPU Regulation (PKPU) on legislative candidacy in the general election in 2019.

"We will include regulation on the ban for former prisoner in corruption case to become a legislative candidate. We will include this in PKPU because we do not mention this in the current law," KPU member Hasyim Asy'ari said.

The regulation is aimed at ensuring voters to elect clean leaders.

ANTARA