T

he newly established committee tasked with selecting commissioners for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) pledged on Monday to run a transparent process to single out people with integrity without undue external influence.

President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo himself assured them that he would not interfere in the process.

Jokowi invited the team to a meeting on Monday at the State Palace where he briefed them about the current antigraft campaign to ensure the team produced the best candidates that would fit the cause.

Financial and monetary expert Destry Damayanti, who serves as the selection committee'€™s chairperson, said they would work their best in netting credible candidates to replace the current KPK leaders who will end their tenures in December.

'€œFighting corruption is the responsibility of all of us since it involves many aspects in which the President also stressed that we would not only focus on enforcement [measures], but also prevention,'€ she said after the meeting.

Speaking during a press conference after the meeting, Jokowi said he had confidence in the team and later reiterated the hope for the future of the KPK he expressed last Thursday when he announced the nine new committee members.

'€œI'€™d like to say that I put full trust in the selection committee to select credible KPK leaders, who have integrity and also public trust,'€ he said, adding that the future KPK leaders should be able to strengthen the antigraft body.

'€œThe selection committee also needs to think how to ensure the KPK will improve itself and become a dignified institution and how the future KPK leaders will be able to develop a modern investigation system and strengthen the internal integrity system,'€ Jokowi added.

The President also said KPK leaders should be able to develop networking and cooperate internally and with other institutions.

The State Secretariat, which supervised the selection committee, will provide technical support for the whole process.

Information technology and management expert Betti S. Alisjahbana, who serves as the team'€™s spokesperson, said the President indeed gave assurances that he would not interfere with the selection process.

'€œOne of the reasons why the nine of us were picked was because we are independent. So, Insya Allah [God willing] we cannot be interfered with,'€ she said.

The team held a meeting later that day to start drafting a work plan and is scheduled to hold another meeting on Tuesday morning as it faces a deadline before the tenures of the current KPK leaders end in December.

The committee will ensure a transparent process by providing regular updates to the public and will draft a code of conduct for the members to ensure impartiality in running the selection process, said Betti.

The committee will also involve and ask for input from several parties, including the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), the former members of the KPK selection committee and the KPK itself, as well as the Attorney General'€™s Office and the National Police.

'€œWe will involve several parties, for example, probably, the PPATK [the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre], to conduct tracking [of the backgrounds of candidates],'€ she said. '€œWe want to get input so that we can have a comprehensive understanding [for selecting candidates].'€

Other than accepting applications, the committee will also proactively scout people to search for reliable candidates, said Betti.

Jokowi has won praise for his pick of the nine members of the committee, with many saying the move could restore his credibility, particularly following the recent rivalry between the KPK and the police.

Unlike previous speculations that the government was considering law experts with track records of supporting graft suspects to be part of the team, Jokowi instead chose scholars and professionals.

State Secretary Pratikno said the working mechanism was solely under the authority of the team.

'€œIt is a internal matter of the selection committee; the President has given his word not to interfere with the work of the committee,'€ Pratikno said.