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Convicts on probation should be allowed to run in regional elections: Lawmaker
Convicts on probation should be allowed to run in regional elections and exercise full political rights, a lawmaker has said in agreement to a recent regulation issued by the House of Representatives.
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A committee member at a polling station in Denpasar, Bali, checks a ballot for the city's mayoral election before handing it to a voter during a revote on Dec. 13. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)
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onvicts on probation should be allowed to run in regional elections and exercise full political rights, a lawmaker has said in agreement to a recent regulation issued by the House of Representatives.
"From a perspective of justice and constitutionality, it would be excessive to ban someone on probation from running in the elections," Arsul Sani of the United Development Party (PPP) and member of the House Commission III overseeing legal affairs said at the House complex on Thursday.
He said the regulation should also be accompanied by the support of other probation laws, for example to help categorize the degree of the crime and the act of crime itself, to set standards for what level of legal status a convict would to be allowed to run as candidate. For example, whether time spent in prison for corruption or sexual abuse convictions would disqualify someone, Arsul added.
According to the PPP secretary, it would be unfair that a case involving a minor oversight would impact heavily on a person's right to run for public office if they were otherwise qualified. However, he said he understood the opposing perspective.
At least three factions rejected the decision agreed upon during a hearing at the House Commission II on regional autonomy and home affairs with the General Elections Commission (KPU), the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) and the Home Affairs Ministry on Aug. 28.
A KPU regulation (PKPU) eventually allowed to let a convict on probation become a candidate.
