House told to review KPK membership

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 11/22/2007 11:35 AM

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A lawyers association has asked the House of Representatives to carefully consider several candidates for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leadership from a law enforcement background.

The call was made to encourage an all-out anticorruption campaign within the National Police, the Attorney General's Office and the judiciary.

Chairman of the Indonesian Lawyers Association (Peradi), Otto Hasibuan, said the House should set comprehensive criteria to assess the integrity of the 10 candidates recommended by the government-sanctioned selection team. He added the candidates' moral commitment should also be kept in check to eliminate political and judiciary corruption in all state institutions, particularly in law enforcement agencies.

""Competence and professionalism are not enough. The House should know the candidates' track-records and not adopt the so-called representation system in determining the commission's leadership,"" Otto said in a meeting Tuesday with the House's law commission.

Chairman of the law commission in the House, Trimedya Panjaitan, concurred and said his commission was preparing profiles of the 10 candidates by visiting their places of employment prior to running for KPK leadership.

The law commission, which is scheduled to conduct a 'fit and proper' test on November 27 to 29, has received the resumes of the 10 candidates, half of whom are former police officers, prosecutors and judges.

Otto added the public, including the legal community, were confused by the selection team's decision, which was headed by State Minister for Administrative Reforms Taufik Effendi.

""Lawyers, and the nation, are expecting strong leadership in the KPK to fight corruption, which is not only rampant in the executive body, but also in other state institutions,"" he said, adding Peradi was disappointed with the current KPK body, which was considered picky and discriminative in handling corruption cases.

Peradi deputy chairman Denny Kailimang questioned the credibility of the team, the members of which were academics in religious and international relations and chaired by a cabinet minister.

""It shows the government has its own interest in the KPK,"" Denny said.

The selection team has five members, including Hikmahanto Juwana, an international law expert from the University of Indonesia, and Komaruddin Hidayat, rector of the Syarief Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta.

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