Analysts believe political parties need to be transparent and accountable in using the state budget

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Political analyst and Executive Director of the Indonesia Political Review (IPR) Iwan Setiawan believes that political parties (parpol) must be transparent and accountable in their use of the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN). He made this statement in response to the KPK’s proposal to revise Law No. 2 of 2011 on Political Parties, which calls for improvements in party finances through integration with the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) system. “In my view, anything related to the APBN must be reported in an accountable and responsible manner,” he told ANTARA when contacted in Jakarta on Friday. He revealed that political parties receive financial assistance from the APBN amounting to Rp1,000 per valid vote from general elections (pemilu). “These funds are provided proportionally based on the number of votes obtained. The total central-level party assistance funds in 2023 reached Rp126 billion,” he disclosed. Furthermore, Iwan stated that political parties have yet to provide details on the use of APBN funds, including agendas for political education for party cadres. “Based on the KPK’s statement, it turns out that political parties have not yet produced adequate accountability reports regarding the APBN funds used, including for political education,” he said. He also explained that the proposal concludes that political education by parties, both internal and for the public, has not been running effectively and does not meet credible reporting standards. The KPK, he added, aims to curb corruption practices within parties and by party cadres when serving as state officials, drawing from the many party cadres caught red-handed for corruption. “Because to date, many members of the House of Representatives (DPR) and state officials have become KPK patients due to being caught engaging in corrupt practices,” Iwan stated.