Jakarta – Indonesia faces a tough battle to stem rampant corruption, three of the country's presidential candidates said.

In a nationally televised debate ahead of Monday's election, candidate and former armed forces chief Wiranto said the anti-corruption drive should target corruption past and present.

"We should not only be trapped in only dragging out corruptors who are guilty but not yet punished, but there should also be a spirit to drag new corruptors around us," Wiranto said.

Wiranto's vice presidential candidate Solahuddin Wahid said many things needed to be put in order first, including the witness protection law. "Without this law, nobody will dare report on corruptors," Wahid said.

Presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also a former general, said there should be a review of pending corruption cases. "There should first be a review ... I will ask what has been done by the attorney general so far on the legal process on those suspected of corruption," he said. Any cases shown to have been frozen or ignored should be reopened, he said.

The third presidential candidate taking part in the debate, current Vice President Hamzah Haz, ran out of time to answer after talking about past steps. But his vice presidential candidate, former transport minister Agum Gumelar, said: "To put [in] order something that is in disorder is not easy."

Indonesia has for years been labelled as among the most corrupt countries in the world and many critics have said widespread graft is undermining its investment climate and whatever progress it was making in the economy.

All candidates were also in support of the death penalty for those found guilty in major corruption cases, drug traffickers and those guilty of crimes against humanity or of gross violation of human rights.

Wiranto agreed that capital punishment could be meted for crimes against humanity and gross human rights violations, but only "as long as the investigation is conducted honestly, openly and that it [the charges] are not politically created".

A United Nations-backed court has issued an arrest warrant against Wiranto on charges of crimes against humanity in East Timor in 1999. Prosecutors say he failed to curb atrocities there by Indonesian troops and militia allies against independence supporters.

The three candidates also agreed there was a need to retain the pervasive network of the country's armed forces that dates back from the Suharto era. "We still need it while our nation is still facing horizontal conflicts," said Gumelar, arguing the military's presence was necessary to handle communal conflicts.

Indonesia held parliamentary elections on April 5 and will elect a president and vice president on July 5.

Two other candidates, incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri and national assembly chairman Amien Rais, already faced a separate debate late on Wednesday.

Round 2 live dialog excerpts

1. On fight against corruption:

• Wiranto: Focus not only on corruption involving top officials and business heavyweights, but also at a lower level, which is also rampant. Prevent corruption, adopt stiffer punishment and monitoring system.
• Hamzah: Send all big corruptors to jail during the first 100 days of tenure, and amend corruption laws to enable a reversal in burden of proof, requiring alleged corruptors to prove their assets are not from graft.
• Susilo: Review the judiciary and law enforcers during their first 100 days of tenure, before taking stern measure against corruptors.

2. On unemployment:

• Wiranto: Prioritize job creation, rather than workers' welfare.
• Hamzah: Launch massive infrastructure projects to absorb as much of the workforce as possible, empower small- and medium-scale enterprises and private sector alike.
• Susilo: Improve workers' welfare and create jobs at the same time.

3. On investment/economy:

• Wiranto: The priority is to provide investors and business players with legal certainties, apart from security. Try to boost tourism sector.
• Hamzah: Increase value of local products, improve legal and security conditions.
• Susilo: Increase oil and mining exploration, boost agriculture sector, improve and create new tourism destinations.

4. On culture/sports:

• Wiranto: Prevent negative impacts of globalization, such as pornography and aspects of Western culture that contradicts local norms.
• Hamzah: Restore the now-defunct state minister of sports and youth affairs office and set up a new ministry that specifically deals with culture.
• Susilo: Try to empower local cultures in order to create a more civilized society.