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House demands new search for KPK leader
Lawmakers have demanded that the search for a new commissioner at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) be started again from scratch, calling the last-minute recruitment initiated by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono âsuspiciousâ
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awmakers have demanded that the search for a new commissioner at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) be started again from scratch, calling the last-minute recruitment initiated by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 'suspicious'.
House of Representatives' Commission III members overseeing legal affairs and laws, human rights and security voiced the demand in a meeting with members of a government-sanctioned selection committee on Monday.
Commissioned by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the last months of his tenure, the selection committee has narrowed the list of candidates to two finalists; incumbent KPK deputy chairman Busyro Muqoddas and a former staff member of the Cabinet Secretariat, Roby Arya Brata.
Prior to the Monday meeting, Commission III was scheduled to move ahead for final screenings of the candidates before making a final selection.
Former law and human rights minister Amir Syamsuddin, who was tasked by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to lead the selection committee, told Commission III that both candidates had been thoroughly vetted since August of this year.
'We were not involved in the selection process,' said Ali Umri, a politician with the NasDem Party.
'We don't have any idea what happened during the recruitment. In order to avoid problem in the future, I suggest that we repeat the whole process from the beginning,' Ali added.
Such a proposal quickly garnered support from 13 of the 54 Commission III members attending the meeting, including Golkar Party politician John Kenedy Azis, who said 'a fresh selection would ensure the process is executed properly'.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Commission III chairman and Golkar politician Azis Syamsuddin explained that a new selection should take place if the majority of lawmakers voted as such.
'We will hold an internal meeting soon to hear the stance of each party faction on the matter. We must of course return the two candidates and start over if the majority of the party factions agree,' Azis said.
Busyro, whose current term as KPK commissioner will end in December, and Roby, head of international relations at the Cabinet Secretariat since 2011, were chosen out of a pool of 104 individuals applying for the position.
Citing the 2002 Law on the KPK, selection committee member Imam Prasojo reminded lawmakers of the need to appoint five individuals to lead the national antigraft body ' one chairman and four commissioners ' or risk future confusion.
'Incomplete leadership positions might cause decisions made by the KPK to be found illegitimate,' said Imam. 'Thus, we cannot let the position sit vacant for too long.'
On the sidelines of the meeting, Imam explained that even though the law did not explicitly say that an incomplete roster of KPK leaders would render future KPK decisions illegitimate, it could be used as a legal challenge.
'Is opens a loophole for interpretation. It can be certainly be used to act against KPK decisions,' he said.
Busyro, however, said that it was fine to have four leaders running the KPK. 'It will not disrupt KPK activities because the remaining four leaders can continue to work. It's just that more brains are better to make decisions.'
