Candidates choose not to reveal their donors

Candidates choose not to reveal their donors

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta

All presidential candidates have submitted bank accounts to the
General Elections Commission (KPU) but none of them have revealed
their lists of campaign donors, the commission said on Tuesday.

KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbakti said all had missed the
May 31 deadline for submitting their full financial reports,
which must include a list of campaign donors.

Law No. 23/2003 on the presidential election says campaign
bank statements must be submitted to the KPU no more than seven
days after the candidates are declared eligible to contest the
polls. All the candidates were declared eligible on May 22.

The law says all candidates must then submit a full financial
report, which includes a list of donors, to the KPU at least one
day before the election campaign period begins on June 1. The
law, however, does not punish those who do not meet the deadline.

Gen. (ret) Wiranto and running mate Solahuddin Wahid of the
Golkar Party met the first May 29 deadline, submitting their bank
statement on May 25. The information showed a joint account held
by Wiranto and Solahuddin at the Gadjah Mada branch of Bank
Central Asia (BCA) with a balance of Rp 3.5 billion.

Later that day Hamzah Haz and Agum Gumelar of the United
Development Party (PPP) submitted their account statement -- Rp 1
billion held at the Ratu Plaza, Bank Mandiri branch.

The rest of the candidates submitted their bank statements
four days late on May 31. Megawati Soekarnoputri and Hasyim
Muzadi of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)
submitted their account statement -- Rp 2.6 billion held at the
Bank Mandiri Imam Bonjol branch, in Central Jakarta.

Information from Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla of
the Democratic Party showed they had Rp 1.5 billion at Bank
Mandiri's Pancoran branch in South Jakarta.

Amien Rais and Siswono Yudhohusodo of the National Mandate
Party (PAN) also reported on Monday their account at BCA's
Fatmawati branch in South Jakarta had a balance of 1.2 billion.

In the April 5 legislative election, the PDI-P topped the list
of campaign funds with a total of Rp 111 billion, followed by
Golkar with over Rp 82 billion, the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS)
with Rp 1.6 billion and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party
(PKPI) with more than Rp 500 million.

KPU official Mulyana W. Kusumah called on all candidates to
submit their full financial reports but did not say what the
commission would do if the candidates ignored the suggestion.

The KPU also revealed that neither Megawati nor Hamzah had
submitted their campaign schedules, meaning they had not
officially taken leave from their active duties as president and
vice president.