KPU Urged to Distribute ‘Problematic Candidates’ List at Polls
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·3 minutes read
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – With the recent announcement of the former corruption convicts running in the legislative election, various stakeholders should join forces to prompt voters to dig into the candidates’ backgrounds.
As reported on Wednesday (1/30/2019), the General Elections Commission (KPU) published its list of 49 legislative candidates who are former corruption convicts. Civil society groups are now urging the KPU to follow up on their announcement by distributing the list of ex-convict candidates – or “problematic candidates” – at polling stations in their constituencies
Network for Democracy and Electoral Integrity (Netgrit) executive director Sigit Pamungkas said in Jakarta on Thursday (1/31) that he feared voters would not remember or would remain unaware of the problematic candidates’ track records if the list was not distributed.
“There needs to be synergy between the KPU, which announced the names of the legislative candidates who are former corruption convicts, and civil society to maintain discourse,” he said.
The KPU’s Ilham Saputra said the commission was open to the possibility of distributing the list of problematic candidates at the polls. However, the matter needed further study and discussion at a KPU plenary meeting. Distributing the list at polling stations meant that the problematic candidates’ names needed to carry a certain mark.
Regarding the possibility of releasing the names of legislative candidates convicted for crimes other than corruption, KPU chair Arief Budiman said that this was doable. However, the KPU first needed to request the data from regional general elections commissions (KPUDs).
KPU’s discretion
The political parties whose legislative candidates appeared on the list said that it was up to the individual candidates and the KPU to inform the public about the candidates’ backgrounds.
The parties that have problematic candidates are the Golkar Party, Gerindra, the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), the Democratic Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Berkarya Party, the Garuda Party, the United Indonesia Party (Perindo), the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB).
Golkar campaigns deputy head TGB Muhammad Zainul Majdi said the central board could not intervene in the process of recruiting regional candidates, as it fell entirely under its regional chapters.
Gerindra executive Ahmad Riza Patria echoed Zainul’s statement, saying that Gerindra’s central board could not monitor candidate recruitment at all its regional chapters. The former corruption convicts were recruited as regional council candidates without the central board’s knowledge.
“The parties have done everything they can, and so has the KPU. Now, it is up to the people to make the best choices,” he said.
Public opinion remained skeptical about the KPU’s announcement. Maninus Suud, the propritor of the Politik coffee shop in Rembang, Central Java, said that voter response to the publication of the KPU\'s list of problematic candidates would not mean much, as the candidates were aggressively attempting to rebuild trust among voters in their constituencies. (REK/AGE/WHO)