0 Better Legislative Candidate Filters Urged

Polling observers have called into question the set of rules underlying the nomination of legislative candidates for next year’s general election, ahead of next month’s deadline for parties to submit their provisional lists of nominees. Ray Rangkuti, the executive director of the Indonesian Civic Network (LIMA), said on Sunday that the three conditions allowing a party to drop a candidate after the April 9 deadline were not comprehensive enough and could undermine the quality of the polls. 

One of the conditions, set by the General Elections Commission (KPU), allows a party to replace a provisional candidate if it finds they were not eligible for nomination in the first place. It may also do so if the candidate dies after the submission deadline, or drops out of their own accord. “Limiting the conditions for the exclusion of candidates to just these three administrative factors will negatively impact the quality of the election,” Ray said. 

He argued that there were other “more meaningful” conditions under which a candidate should be disqualified, including the existence of complaints or criminal cases against them in relation to their political, social or moral conduct, or their suspected involvement in corruption. “These factors are far more meaningful than the administrative factors in determining whether a person should be allowed to stand as a legislative candidate,” Ray said. 

He called on the KPU to revise its rules for disqualifying a candidate after the submission of the provisional lists. “The KPU needs to emphasize that the lists can be amended if there are existing complaints, objections or protests by the public against individual candidates with regard to the latter’s performance, conduct, track record or involvement in corruption,” he said. “Of course the individuals in question and the parties should be allowed the chance to defend themselves before the KPU considers striking the candidates from the list.”

source : the jakarta globe