Ina Parlina, Jakarta – A watchdog, which is a member of a team assigned to track down the profiles of the remaining 10 candidates to fill four top posts at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), says that polygamy is risky for those who will lead the country's fight against corruption.

"However, it's not a secret that corruption occurs because of pressure due to family needs. Remember that corruption is driven by need or by greed," Jamil Mubarok of the Indonesia Transparency Society (MTI) told The Jakarta Post on Monday. "So, polygamy, in which the breadwinner must feed two or three families, is risky for KPK leaders."

He said candidates who had mistresses, or engaged in prostitution, would also be included on MTI's blacklist for KPK leaders. Jamil said that his team would follow all leads that suggest that any of these candidates may be polygamists, as that could impede their performance as KPK leaders.

Just recently, the committee to select four KPK leaders narrowed the field to 10 candidates, who passed a profile assessment. This week, the committee, along with a team comprising the MTI, the National Police, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the State Intelligence Agency, will track down records on the remaining 10 candidates just before the final interview on Aug. 15.

Fahri Hamzah, a deputy secretary-general for the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), begged to differ, saying that polygamy would not affect performance as leaders of the antigraft commission.

"In law, [polygamy] has no problem; go ahead, track any information to prove whether or not they are polygamists," said the member of the House of Representatives' Commission III for legal affairs and human rights, which will select the final four. "It will not affect the effectiveness of their work as KPK leaders."

Several members of PKS are known to be polygamists, including Communications and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring, and politician Anis Matta.

KPK advisor Abdullah Hehamahua, KPK deputy for monitoring and public complaints Handoyo Sudradjat, Indonesian Financial Transactions Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) chief Yunus Husein, bureaucratic reform consultant Egi Sutjiati and human rights lawyer and activist Bambang Widjojanto, are among the remaining 10 who will be facing the final interview by the committee. Later, the committee will select eight names to be forwarded to the House which will conduct a fit and proper test to choose the four new KPK leaders.

"Rest assured, we [Commission III] will choose those with sophisticated new tactics to combat corruption regardless of whether they are polygamists or not," Fahri said.

Jamil added that his team would also trace the respective candidates' behavior within their families, neighborhoods, societies, work- places and places where they once worked and lived. "We will not only check their financial assets, lifestyles and incomes, we will also ask for opinions from people within their social circles."