Fabian Januarius Kuwado, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has re-launched the Track Record (RekamJejak.net) website to expose information and the curriculum vitae of the hundreds of legislative candidates running in the 2024 elections.
ICW researcher Kurnia Ramadhana said that through the website the public can examine general information about candidates, their role in the production of laws, their legal history, whether they are corrupt, and what legal cases they have been embroiled in.
"First, how are their track records are on problematic regulations, whether they are compliant or not compliant with LHKPN [State Officials Wealth Reports] or maybe third, whether there are indications they have been involved in corrupt practices", said Ramadhana when speaking to reporters in Sudirman, Central Jakarta, on Sunday November 26.
So far, ICW has already compiled and uploaded data on 491 candidates running for the national House of Representatives (DPR) from various different political parties.
Ramadhana admitted that were limitations so it has been impossible to include data on the track record of all candidate DPR members.
In order to address this, ICW is being assisted by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Greenpeace and resource people to determine a number of clusters.
Among these clusters are legislative candidates who are members of the same family as top political party officials.
"Sometimes people who talk about dynastic politics are not aware that in their own party there is also dynastic politics", said Ramadhana.
Among the children of top party officials are Ravindra Airlangga, the son of Golkar Party Chairperson Airlangga Hartarto, who is running for the West Java V electoral district.
Then there is Prananda Paloh, the son of the National Democrat Party (Nasdem) chairperson Surya Paloh, who is running for the North Sumatra I electoral district, and Pinka Haprani, the daughter of ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Central Leadership Board Chairperson and DPR Speaker Puan Maharani, who is running for the Central Java IV electoral district.
"This must also be conveyed, known by the public because many people are talking about political dynasties", said Ramadhana.
Another cluster includes legislative candidates who have once been public officials, both in the executive as well as the legislative. Then, retired TNI (Indonesian military) and Polri (Indonesian police) officers, former law enforcement officials and former corruption convicts.
In the site the public can also see the affiliations of the legislative candidates, both in the formulation of controversial laws and corruption cases they have been implicated in.
Ramadhana admitted that ICW and a number of other institutions re-launched Rekamjejak.net because the government and the General Election Commission (KPU) has not provided sufficient information for voters. Yet voters have the right to know their representative candidates' profiles.
ICW said it also regrets the KPU's attitude in not publishing the track records of legislative candidates.
"This is one aspect also of the political parties that's still a problem because the political parties don't require their candidates to reveal all the information", said Ramadhana.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "ICW Luncurkan RekamJejak.net, Suguhkan Data Caleg Termasuk Eks Koruptor".]