T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Thursday criticized the lack of integrated anticorruption values in the manifestos of the two presidential candidates contending the July 9 election.

Presidential hopefuls have to submit vision and mission statements to the General Elections Commission (KPU) as part of the candidate registration process.

KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto said every working program drafted by the candidate pairs '€” Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo-Jusuf Kalla and Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa '€” should be formulated in the spirit of anticorruption.

'€œStrengthening law enforcement is not just about how many investigators are needed to support criminal and corruption investigations for law enforcement institutions, including the KPK,'€ he said.

Earlier, Prabowo '€” whose candidacy is supported by a Gerindra Party-led coalition consisting of the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP) and The Crescent Star Party (PBB) '€” promised that should he be elected president he would increase the recruitment of investigators.

Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Gerindra'€™s deputy chief patron and brother of Prabowo, said Prabowo would add around 1,000 investigators to the KPK should he be elected president.

Currently the KPK only has 75 investigators, despite having to process thousands of reports of alleged corruption every year.

Bambang said that if the spirit of anticorruption was embedded in every working program, then it could prevent corrupt officials from stealing from the state'€™s coffers.

'€œFamily members of state officials must be prevented from dipping into the state budget through government projects. The public should be included in the supervision of government programs for the sake of transparency,'€ Bambang said.

He added that tight control on every government working program would prevent state funds from being stolen, while at the same time increasing state revenue, especially from taxation.

Bambang lamented that both presidential candidates had failed to prioritize taxation as a means to improve state revenue.

'€œState revenue from the taxation sector continues to decrease although there are now significantly more tax payers than ever,'€ Bambang said.

The development programs of the next president, he continued, will fail if state revenue is not boosted by taxes.

He went on to say that the incoming president should ensure moral integrity of all new state officials and their commitment to corruption eradication.

'€œEvery state institution should have a department responsible for managing gratuity issues involving state officials,'€ he said.

The Jokowi-Kalla ticket '€” which is backed by a coalition including the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the NasDem Party, the Hanura Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) '€” has promised police reform.

Among the key points is the empowering of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) as a watchdog institution. The agency, which is supposed to function as an independent supervisor, has been restricted by the Police Law and merely serves an advisory role.

The program also includes revisions to several regulations to help root out graft in the police force.