House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs, human rights and security will hold a plenary meeting on Wednesday evening to decide whether the selection of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders could move forward to the next stage, a lawmaker has said.

The commission'€™s deputy chairman, Benny Kabur Harman, said that the meeting would decide whether candidates would proceed to the screening stage or be rejected.  

'€œIf the candidates are rejected, the President [Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo] will have to issue a government regulation in lieu of a law [Perppu],'€ he said as quoted by kompas.com at the House complex in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Benny said that although the KPK'€™s leadership selection committee had provided all selection documents as requested, there were issues that still needed to be resolved.

In four hearings with the selection committee, he said, most Commission III members had taken issue with the absence of an element representing the prosecutors'€™ offices among eight KPK leader candidates.

Benny said a lack of candidates with a law education background had also emerged as a hotly debated issue. Some Commission III members had also questioned the matter in which the selection committee had categorized expertise.  

'€œThere have been debates, which have produced feedback, but it is left to each faction to make a decision,'€ said the Democratic Party politician.

Each Commission III member has until Wednesday evening to consult with his or her faction and make a decision on the matter. Each decision will be conveyed in the plenary meeting set to begin 7:30 p.m.

Commission III chairman Aziz Syamsudin said earlier that if the eight KPK leader candidates were rejected, the government must appoint a new selection committee.

He said the current acting KPK leaders, namely Taufiequrachman Ruki, Indrianto Seno Adji, and Johan Budi, would remain in their positions until new leaders were appointed. Only two KPK commissioners, Zulkarnaen and Adnan Pandu Praja, would end their terms on Dec.16.

The eight KPK leader candidates are Saut Situmorang and Surya Chandra (the prevention division); Alexander Marwata and Basaria Panjaitan (the law enforcement division); Agus Raharjo and Sujanarko (the management division), and Johan Budi Sapto Prabowo and Laode Muhammad Syarif (the supervision division). Apart from the eight candidates, two other KPK leader candidates, Busyro Muqoddas and Roby Arya Bharata, were selected earlier.  (ebf)(+)

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