T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) urged President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo on Tuesday not to appoint a politician as attorney-general for the 2014-2019 term, fearing a failure to restore public trust in an institution widely deemed one of the country'€™s most corrupt judicial agencies.

'€œCandidates for the attorney-general post must be clean, with no links to legal problems, because he or she should be a role model [for other agencies],'€ KPK chairman Abraham Samad told reporters at the KPK headquarters on Tuesday.

Abraham also urged Jokowi to submit the names of candidates for the attorney-general position to the commission for a background check.

Last week, Jokowi called for the KPK'€™s help to screen around 80 candidates for the 34 ministerial posts.

'€œIt is important that he [Jokowi] submits the names to us for a background check. As of today, we haven'€™t heard anything,'€ Abraham said.

The KPK chairman added that Jokowi should have followed the example set by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who asked the KPK to screen candidates for important positions at judicial bodies including the National Police and the Attorney-General'€™s Office (AGO).

As of Tuesday, Jokowi had yet to name a new attorney-general.

Several figures have been touted for the position, including two candidates from within the AGO: deputy attorney-general Andhi Nirwanto and junior attorney-general for special crime Widyo Pramono. Potential outside candidates include Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) chief Muhammad Yusuf, former law and human rights minister Hamid Awaluddin and former judicial mafia taskforce member Mas Achmad Santosa.

Hamid, a former law and human rights minister and an aide to Vice President Jusuf Kalla, was implicated in a graft case that hit the General Elections Commission (KPU) in 2006, and which was handled by the KPK.

In addition to the above five candidates, the NasDem Party, a member of Jokowi'€™s coalition, has proposed one of its executives, HM Prasetyo, for the attorney-general'€™s post.

Anti-graft watchdog Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) urged Jokowi not to give the attorney-general position to a political appointee like Prasetyo, so as to avoid any conflict of interest.

The ICW also claimed that Prasetyo, who was a junior attorney-general for general crimes in 2006, did not have an impressive record.

'€œHis [Presetyo'€™s] candidacy for attorney-general is allegedly due to an endorsement from a certain political party. The position of attorney-general is crucial to the country'€™s efforts to improve law enforcement, and those efforts could be hindered if the job is given to a figure with political interests,'€ ICW researcher Ade Irawan said on Tuesday.

Contacted separately, State Secretary Pratikno refused to explain why Jokowi had yet to announce his choice to replace former attorney-general Basrief Arief.

In a break from tradition, Jokowi kept the post of attorney-general vacant when he announced his Cabinet on Monday, giving rise to speculation that the President was mired in fierce negotiations with leaders of parties in his coalition.

'€œNo, not yet,'€ Pratikno said on Tuesday morning when asked if Jokowi had privately already chosen a new attorney-general.

The President, who was reportedly seeking advice on the matter from ministers including new Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly and new Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, held a meeting with Yasonna on Tuesday afternoon.

As well as the attorney-general position, Jokowi has also yet to fill the position of new National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief.

Candidates touted for the BIN top job include the agency'€™s former deputy chief As'€™ad Said Ali, former Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) chief Rear Marshal (ret) Ian Perdanakusuma, former deputy defense minister Lt. Gen. (ret) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and current BIN deputy chief Maj. Gen. Erfi Trianussu.