Ina Parlina, Jakarta – A coalition of antigraft activists deployed members to study the track record of the 215 nominees applying to be the next leaders of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
The coalition, which comprised 10 organizations including Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) and the Judicial Monitoring Society (Mappi), also called on the public to scrutinize the candidates to prevent any people with a poor track record from being selected.
The selection committee is screening the applicants in an administrative selection. "We need the public to speak out if they know something about the applicants' track records," ICW's Agus Sunaryanto told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Selection committee secretary Achmad Ubbe said the committee planned to publish the names of applicants who successfully met the administrative requirements on June 25 for a month-long public scrutiny.
Those who pass the administrative selection will undergo further selection and a profile assessment to pare down the list to eight.
Agus said the coalition had been gathering information from fellow activists throughout the country, with some activists going to the applicants' hometowns to investigate their backgrounds.
On Monday, selection committee head Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar closed the two-week registration at 4 p.m.
The 215 applicants comprise 69 private sector figures, 49 lawyers, 43 active or retired civil servants, 37 academics, 14 active or retired police and military officers and three prosecutors. There were no judges among the applicants.
Six applicants are current KPK officials: deputy of the internal affairs and public reports Handoyo Sudrajat, adviser Abdullah Hehamahua, spokesman Johan Budi, inter-commissions and agency network development chief Sujanarko, deputy for enforcement Ade Rahardja and deputy chairman Chandra M. Hamzah.
Failed applicants from last year also appear: Col. (ret) Tjoek Soegiarto, Brig. (ret) Idris, Nana Rukmana, prosecutor Zulkarnain and Insp. Gen. (ret) Aryanto Sutadi.
Padang chief prosecutor Sutan Bagindo Fachmi and the head of the anticorruption caucus at the Regional Representatives Council, I Wayan Sudirta, who made it to the last seven last year, return as candidates. Last year, ICW warned the selection committee about Fachmi's track record.
Farhat Abbas, a controversial lawyer who once defended convict Muhtadi Asnun, the judge who cleared tax officer Gayus H. Tambunan of corruption charges, is also making a second appearance as a candidate.
Muhammad Mahendradatta, the lawyer for hard-line cleric and convicted terrorist Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, lawyers Farid M. Basakran and Arbab Paproeka and former lawmaker Nur Syamsi Nurlan also applied.
Noted scholar and legal activist Bambang Widjojanto who last year was beaten by current KPK chairman Busyro Muqoddas, is running again. He, along with Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) chairman Yunus Husein, is among the candidates perceived as credible by the public.
The House of Representatives' law and human rights commission will select four of the eight candidates as KPK leaders. The KPK is expected to have new leaders by Dec. 18, when the tenures of the current leaders end.