Jakarta – Members of the House of Representatives warned President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono against intervening in the final selection process of leaders of the country's antigraft body at the House.
"Don't dictate to the House. We respect the work of the [government selection committee] to find the best candidates. The House, however, has the political authority [to decide]," legislator Tjahjo Kumolo, who is also secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) told reporters on Tuesday. "The government should respect the House's decision."
Yudhoyono, who is chief patron of the Democratic Party, submitted eight Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leadership candidates to the House last week. The House will select four new KPK leaders before the year's end, as the current leadership's term ends in mid-December.
The selection committee, led by Law and Human Right Minister Patrialis Akbar, ranked the candidates from best to the worst.
The four top candidates are lawyer and activist Bambang Widjojanto, Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center chief Yunus Husein, KPK advisor Abdullah Hehamuhua and KPK deputy for internal inspection and public complaints Handoyo Sudrajad.
The other four candidates are lawyer Abraham Samad, Attorney General's Office staff Zulkarnain, National Police Commission member Adnan Pandupraja and retired police general Aryanto Sutadi, in that order.
Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said Yudhoyono welcomed the selection committee's ranking, which could be used by the public to monitor the House's selection process. According to Julian, Yudhoyono also approved of the leadership capacity of the four top candidates – especially Bambang and Yunus. Lawmakers have bristled at the ranking, calling it a form of intervention.
Several Democratic Party lawmakers are among those rejecting the ranking, vowing to ignore it during the candidates' fit and proper tests. The ranking system would play not part in the fit and proper test, Benny K. Karman, head of House commission III overseeing legal affairs, said.
"It seems the selection committee wants to force us [to select their top four choices]," Benny, a Democratic Party politician, told reporters on Tuesday. "It is very possible that the fit and proper test results will be different from the selection committee's. The House has its own assessments."
Commission III deputy chairman Fachri Hamzah said the commission would question the selection committee on its initiative to rank the candidates.