REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The House of Representatives Speaker, Bambang Soesatyo, has questioned the General Elections Commission (KPU)'s insistence on banning former convicted of corruption from nominating themselves to be lawmakers. He described the plan as unwise.

"We support the KPU to achieve corruption-free election results, but I think it is not wise to insist on banning former corruption convicts from exercising their basic rights as citizens to nominate themselves for membership of the legislative body," Soesatyo said in a press statement released on Monday.

He said Law No.7 of 2017 on General Elections stipulated that those who had served jail sentences for five years or more could nominate themselves for membership of the legislative body if they made public the cases that sent them to jail. He shared the view of the Deputy Chief of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Saut Situmorang, that political parties could nominate former corruption convicts if they met certain conditions.

The conditions include admitting that they were former corruption convicts, declaring the length of their jail term, repenting their wrongdoings, displaying good conduct during their time in jail, and committing themselves not to repeat their misdeeds. "The law guarantees the rights of every citizen including former convicts. It is for the court to decide whether or not a citizen loses his/her political right. The matter cannot be decided by a regulation that has lower rank than law," Soesatyo said.

He said if KPU insisted on issuing the regulation it would violate the law. The policy would rob citizens of their basic right to choose or to be chosen in the elections, he added.

Earlier, KPU has stated its readiness to face lawsuit at the Supreme Court. "We would rather lose if sued than not issuing this regulation," KPU Commissioner Wahyu Setiawan said.

Meanwhile, People's Voter Education Network (JPPR) supported KPU's commitment in banning former corruption convicts from nominating themselves to be lawmakers. KPU regulation (PKPU) on the issue will be an important part of the substance of democracy, JPPR said.

According to National Coordinator JPPR Sunarto, Indonesia has been practicing procedural democracy for so long. The process of democracy in Indonesia has not reached the substance.

"By banning the corruption convicts to be lawmaker candidates, KPU helps us to have honest and clean leaders as part of substantial democracy," National Coordinator JPPR Sunarto said on Monday.

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