Nivell Rayda – Muchtar Pakpahan, who as a union organizer was jailed by former strongman Suharto's regime, has won the most public support for his bid to chair the country's top anticorruption watchdog, a selection committee official said on Tuesday.
Muchtar received 398 letters from the public backing his bid to head the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), said selection committee secretary Achmad Ubber.
In 1996, Muchtar, then the chairman of the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI), was sentenced to four years in prison by the Supreme Court for inciting hatred against the government. He was later accused of embezzling more than Rp 1.8 billion from the union's social security fund, but was acquitted in 2005.
The KPK has been without a leader since March, when the House of Representatives annulled the appointment of interim chairman Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean.
Last month, Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar, who chairs the 13-member selection committee, said 145 out of 287 applicants had met the administrative requirements for the vacant post. They are now ready to proceed to the next round of the process, which includes interviews and the writing of a paper on corruption.
The committee is expected to conduct two more rounds of screening before presenting two final candidates to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for approval on Sept. 15. Once approved, the candidates will undergo a so-called "fit-and-proper" test before House Commission III, which oversees legal and judicial affairs.
The selection committee has welcomed input from the public on candidates prior to the House screening process.
Former Constitutional Court chief justice Jimly Asshiddiqie and Judicial Commission chairman Busyro Muqoddas – both seen as leading contenders by analysts, activists and legislators – – only garnered 14 and four letters of support respectively. There was also one solitary letter that criticized Jimly.
However, selection committee deputy chairman Muhammad Ritonga said letters of support did not necessarily reflect a candidates' suitability for the body's top job.
"We obviously value each letter of support from the public as input for our consideration, but what's more important for us are the letters of criticism, especially if they highlight an integrity flaw in the candidate," he said.
Of the 623 letters the committee has received, only 22 are critical of the candidates. Ritonga said the committee would verify all of the claims with the police, prosecutors and independent watchdogs.
"It'd make our job easier if people referenced their claims or provided evidence to back them," he added. "Otherwise we could be dealing with personal opinions," he went on. "The last thing we want is for the KPK to be led by someone of questionable integrity."