Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Only a small minority of candidates aspiring to run in the 2014 legislative election managed to pass the verification process at the General Elections Commission (KPU).
Three parties – the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) – had all their candidates rejected by the KPK due to administrative problems.
KPU chairman Husni Kamil Malik said on Tuesday that the parties would have 14 days until May 22 to complete the requirements for their legislative candidates.
The poll body said that of 6,576 aspiring legislators, only 1,327 had submitted complete documents to show they were administratively and legally eligible to run in the elections.
Most of them came from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party (PD), Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa's National Mandate Party (PAN), the Golkar Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB).
Of the party members nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to contest the 560 legislative seats, only three met the administrative and legal requirements, the KPU said.
The NasDem Party, which will take part in election for the first time next year, had only seven of its candidates verified by the KPU. The People's Conscience Party (Hanura) and the Star Crescent Party (PBB) only had eight and 15 candidates verified, respectively.
The administrative and legal requirements include copies of identification cards, high school diplomas and documents stating that the candidates upheld the state ideology of Pancasila and the Constitution, were physically and mentally sound, and that they would not take other jobs if elected as House of Representatives members.
Hadar N. Gumay, a poll commissioner, vowed the commission would conduct the verification openly to ensure the public knew the parties and their candidates.
"The poll body will work on the principle of transparency, and political parties contending the legislative election have been given 14 days to make the necessary amendments to their members' applications."
Political parties may remove or replace the names on their provisional lists of legislative candidates should they receive input from the public over the candidates' track records.
They would not be able to make changes after June 13, Hadar said. He called on the public to assess all the legislative hopefuls before their candidacies are verified by the KPU on August 13.
Boni Hargens, a political analyst at the University of Indonesia, highlighted the fact that nepotism remained rampant in the legislative nomination process. He criticized the PD, the PDI-P and PAN for creating political dynasties by nominating relatives and close friends of party officials.
At least six relatives of President Yudhoyono and four relatives of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri have been nominated to run in the upcoming election.
Boni said the quality of legislators and the House's performance would be unlikely to improve next year because most incumbent legislators were seeking reelection.