Corrupt politicians must be barred from politics for life and assets declarations should be extended to include local administrators, an opinion poll has found.
The Nida poll, conducted by the National Institute for Development Administration during Nov 26-27, sought respondents' views on proposed amendments to the anti-graft law, which would provide more power to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
Among the 1,250 respondents polled nationwide, 69.2% backed banning corrupt politicians for life, saying those who committed wrongdoing should not return to politics.
The respondents also said the lifetime ban would act as a filtering mechanism to ensure a better stock of politicians are chosen to run the country.
However, 26% disagreed with a lifetime ban, saying politicians should have the chance to improve their behaviour.
These respondents were also afraid of political rifts resulting from such strong punishments.
On asset declarations, 90% of respondents said officials in various local administrative bodies should declare their assets for the sake of transparency.
They said the public should know how those local administrators obtained their assets.
In the poll, 58% of respondents also supported moves allowing the NACC to arrest corruption suspects, arguing police may not manage such cases properly and might be tempted to accept bribes. Giving the NACC powers of arrest could also speed up corruption cases, they argued.
However, 32.9% disagreed, saying it could lead to duplication of powers with the police.
The National Legislative Assembly last week set up a 30-member committee to study changes to the law boosting the graft-buster's powers after the NACC submitted a draft amid mixed reactions.
Section 18 of the amendment would allow the anti-graft agency to arrest or detain people who are indicted under Section 70 of the Criminal Code if they have failed to report to authorities and if the courts have already approved arrest warrants against them.
Other proposed changes include a lifetime ban for politicians who submit false asset declarations or fail to declare their assets. The amendment also includes a death sentence for state officials found guilty of corruption.