Armando Siahaan, Jakarta – Some in civil society have begun to question the validity of the fit-and-proper tests given to political appointment candidates in the House of Representatives.
The point of such tests is to provide a check on the government's control over state apparatus. But at least one analyst said on Sunday that political intervention was actually coming from within the House.
Nominations of candidates for posts such as National Police chief, head of theIndonesian Armed Forces (TNI) and Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) members are made by the sitting president. They then go to the House to approve or reject.
But Charta Politika analyst Yunarto Wijaya said that, judging by the growing authority of lawmakers today, this process leaves room for deals between lawmakers and the candidates for the positions.
The candidates "would feel like they're indebted to the lawmakers who guarantee their approval," Yunarto said. These politicians would then have some degree of influence over the chiefs.
Political intervention is particularly dangerous when connected with positions such as the National Police chief, he added, "which affects these politicians" in terms of corruption cases or other criminal investigations.
Ibrahim Fahmi Badoh, of Indonesian Corruption Watch, said the political process opened the door for graft wherein the candidate could bribe lawmakers for their promised approval.
"We should learn from the Miranda case," Ibrahim said, referring to the bribery scandal during a fit-and-proper test for Bank Indonesia deputy governor election of Miranda Goeltom in 2004.
Three lawmakers have been jailed for their roles in the case and 26 sitting and former lawmakers were recently named suspects.
Ibrahim even suggested that the House, through its Ethics Council, should establish a punishment measure for lawmakers who are caught cultivating contacts or meeting with active candidates outside the test framework. "Such meetings are filled with conflicts of interest; there must be a clear prohibition," he said.
But Neta S Pane, chairman of Indonesian Police Watch, said a fit-and-proper test was important so that the president would not install a candidate based solely on his subjective – and potentially influenced – opinion.
He cited the nomination of Timur Pradopo as the next National Police chief as one salient example of politicization by the president, he said.
Neta argued that Timur's nomination was problematic for a number of reasons, including his closeness with the president, his accelerated promotion and his links with a number of unsolved cases.
The House is the only line of defense to prevent the president from appointing the wrong candidate, Neta said.