The General Elections Commission (KPU) proposes that former convicts of corruption cases are to be prohibited from running for the 2019 Legislative Election. The KPU argues that the regulation aims to enable the public to vote for a legislative candidate with integrity.

The prohibition of former corruption convicts in participating as legislative candidates can be regarded as a progressive step of the KPU because the provision is not regulated in Law Number 7 of 2017 on General Election (Election Law). Article 240 letter g of the General Election Law only requires that a legislative candidate should never be convicted based on a court decision of permanent legal force for committing a crime punishable by imprisonment of five years or more, unless openly and honestly disclosing to the public that the concerned is a former convicted person.

This proposal is certainly different from the previous period, in which the KPU in 2013 allowed former corruption case convicts to participate in the 2014 election. As a result a number of former corruption convicts were able to register themselves as candidates. For example, Muhammad Taufik, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison for corruption in the procurement of goods and visuals for the 2004 elections when he served as Chairman of the Jakarta KPU. Taufik, from the Gerindra Party, participated in the 2014 election, was elected to the legislature and even now serves as the Vice Chairman of the Jakarta Regional Parliament.

The existence of candidates without integrity will of course add to the problems for the legislative bodies in the national and regional levels in the future. There is a concern that the existence of former corruption convicts in the parliament will only result in the communication of corruption to other legislators, or allow them to repeat previous corrupt practices.

Moreover, the image of the parliament is currently tarnished due to a number of corruption cases involving its members. In 2014, ICW found at least 59 elected members of the legislatures (DPR, DPRD, DPD) for the 2014-2019 period involved in corruption cases. Between 2004-2017, the KPK has processed corruption cases against 144 legislative members at the national to local levels. The number is certainly increasing because in 2018 the KPK has just indicted a staggering 38 names of corrupt legislature members from the North Sumatra Regional Parliament and 19 names from the Malang City Regional Parliament. The inclusion of former corruption convicts as members of the legislature will certainly further strengthen the people's distrust of the parliament.

The existence of candidates who are free from corruption can certainly push the 2019 elections to be more democratic and higher in integrity. Therefore, the KPU should not hesitate to legalize the regulation despite the emergence of resistance from a number of political parties. In order to realize this rule, the KPU may involve and seek support from KPK, universities, and civil society. (Eson)