The former Chairman of the Indonesian General Elections Commission\n(KPU), Ramlan Surbakti, has proposed the formation of a specialised\nagency focused on supervising and enforcing election campaign fund\nregulations. He assessed that the burden of monitoring campaign finances\nis far too heavy if handled solely by the KPU.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere must be an agency specifically dedicated to handling this,\u201d\nRamlan stated during a hearing with Commission II of the House of\nRepresentatives (DPR) in the parliamentary complex, Senerm, Jakarta, on\nTuesday (2\/6\/2026).<\/p>\n
Ramlan highlighted existing loopholes in campaign fund oversight,\nparticularly regarding fundraising practices by informal teams operating\noutside official campaign structures. According to him, funds gathered\nby these informal teams are often unreported and can even exceed the\namount of official funds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are several points I wish to convey here. First, the informal\nmechanism of fundraising\u2014so-called informal teams, which usually appear\nduring presidential or regional elections\u2014must be regulated,\u201d Ramlan\nexplained.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause often, the funds collected by informal teams are actually\nlarger than the funds reported to the KPU or public accounting firms,\u201d\nhe added.<\/p>\n
Consequently, he believes the revision of the Election Law is\nnecessary to mandate the reporting of all campaign fundraising\nactivities, regardless of whether they are conducted officially or\nunofficially.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, all activities, whether formal or informal, official or\nunofficial, in this fundraising process, must be reported,\u201d he\nemphasised.<\/p>\n
Ramlan cited examples of campaign fund oversight in various\ndemocracies, mentioning the United States, which has a specialised\nagency focused on enforcing campaign finance rules, and the United\nKingdom, which assigns such duties to its electoral commission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are two models. The first is the American model. At the\nfederal level in the US, there is no central election organising body,\nbut they have formed the American Election Commission, whose primary\ntask is to enforce election campaign finance provisions,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
He considered this model to be quite effective, referencing a case\ninvolving an Indonesian businessman who was caught in a campaign funding\nviolation in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn Indonesian businessman who contributed to Bill Clinton\u2019s campaign\nwas discovered and subsequently fined,\u201d Ramlan said.<\/p>\n
Ramlan expressed disagreement with assigning the enforcement of\ncampaign finance rules directly to the KPU, arguing that the KPU\u2019s\nprimary duties could be compromised by such a heavy responsibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not believe it is appropriate to task the KPU with enforcing\ncampaign finance provisions. The task of enforcing these regulations is,\nin my view, quite heavy. If this task is given to the KPU, their primary\nduties might be hindered,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Ramlan subsequently proposed that the KPU be granted the authority to\nform this agency, provided that its operations and decision-making\nremain independent.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor instance, the KPU could be tasked with forming this agency, but\nfunctionally, this agency must remain independent, even if the KPU is\nthe one that establishes it,\u201d Ramlam concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/former-kpu-chair-proposes-special-agency-to-oversee-campaign-funds-in-election-bill-1780865038", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }