One Of The Candidates For The Kudus Regent Is Suspected Of Having The Status Of A Former Prisoner, Observer: Unfit To Become An Official And Advance In The Pilkada

Illustration. (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

Political observer Dedi Kurnia Syah highlighted the existence of regional head candidates in the 2024 Pilkada who had or were involved in cases until they were summoned by the KPK and the Prosecutor's Office.

Dedi assessed that if the candidate for regional head who stumbled on the law should not be worthy of participating in political contestation, including in the 2024 Pilkada.

"They should not be worthy in terms of capacity or contestation administration, but the law in this country is felt weakly related to the sanctions," Dedi told reporters, quoted Thursday, September 19.

For information, it is suspected that one of the regent candidates in the 2024 Kudus Pilkada turned out to be a former convict. This is based on information from the Kudus Regency KPU letter Number 815/PL.02.2-SD/3319/2/2024 dated September 14, 2024.

Dedy also argued that the General Elections Commission (KPU) should make a KPU regulation that requires candidates not to be involved in any criminal charges.

"To strengthen this, in particular, a law is needed that takes the political rights of citizens who have been proven to have committed corruption," he said.

However, he said, the law in Indonesia is not like that. So according to him, one of the efforts that the KPU can make is to install the identity of candidates who have been involved in cases, in every polling place (TPS).

That way, according to him, it can help voters to be wiser in making their choices in choosing regional leaders.

"The weaker the effort, the need to demand that the KPU install a candidate's identity at each polling station, including explaining the legal case that is being or has been experienced by a candidate, this will help voters to make choices," he said.

Meanwhile, Trisakti University Law Observer Abdul Fickar considers that sociologically, people who have or are literate are unfit to become public officials, even in its rules have a 5-year gap to re-registered.

"For those with ex-convict status, there is a break, they can nominate after 5 years after being released according to the Constitutional Court's decision No 56/PUU-XVII/2019," said Fickar.

The Constitutional Court provides additional requirements for candidates for regional heads with the status of former convicts, namely having to wait for a gap period of 5 years after passing or serving a prison sentence based on the decision that has been inkracht. Thus, the core of the Constitutional Court's Decision No.56/PUU-XVII/2019 which partially granted the ICW and Needdem requests related to the trial of Article 7 paragraph (2) letter g of Law No. 10 of 2016 concerning the Election of Governors, Regents, and Mayors (UU Pilkada).

Namun, lanjut Fickar, ketika dilihat dari track record yang bersangkutan, sebenarnya sudah tidak layak menjadi pemimpin. Yaitu hukum memberi waktu jelas 5 tahun, tapi secara socisis tidak pantas lagi untuk menjadi pejabat," lanjutnya.