Councillors scolded for evading audit

JAKARTA (JP): The move by city councillors on Tuesday to refuse to cooperate with visiting officials from the State Officials' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) has been roundly criticized by members of the public.

"It's no surprise to me that the councillors refused to cooperate with the officials from the commission because they fear that their wealth will be made known to the public," Paulus R. Mahulete of the Non-Governmental Organizations Coalition for Budget Transparency, said.

Paulus, who is also a deputy chief of the urban affairs division of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), revealed that a councillor received an income of at least Rp 110 million per month. This figure excluded the various payments a councillor could expect to receive when visiting city-owned companies.

"So, it's also difficult to audit the unofficial payments which are so significant," he said.

Paulus suggested that the commission should have the authority to force the councillors to fill out the audit forms if they continued to refuse to do so.

He said the commission could also report the councillors to the prosecutor's office, citing that their rejection of the commission's officials could be an indication that corruption had occurred.

"Report them to the prosecutor's office if they refuse to allow their wealth to be audited," Paulus said.

He said certain political party factions on the City Council were deliberately protecting those of their members who were involved in corruption cases, including the controversial overseas trip case last October, known as the Ancol scandal.

He said the factions had also defended their members who had received money although they had not participated in the trips to Australia, Japan and South Africa.

"It's possible that the councillors have received money from many projects," he said.

Separately, councillor Posman Siahaan admitted that the councillors received monthly stipends of Rp 6 million each, excluding allowances for attending meetings and transportation expenses.

"It's not much for me since I have other businesses, such as a law firm. But I don't know about other councillors " Posman of the Justice and Unity Party, said.

He said that during the meeting with the commission on Tuesday, the councillors had refused to accept the wealth declaration forms because they were being classified as state officials, whereas the councillors did not receive monthly salaries and did not receive pensions as state officials did.

Posman said the councillors were offended as the commission acted as if its officials were entitled to audit the councillors wealth, whereas, in fact, the councillors only reported their wealth.

"Although it's an audit commission, we just report our wealth. They do not audit our wealth," he asserted.

He said the councillors thought the forms were complicated and asked the commission to simplify them.

"We will complete the forms if they are simplified. And the commission has agreed to our request," Posman said.

After the closed-door meeting on Tuesday, the chairman of the commission's public representatives unit Abdullah Hehamahua expressed his surprise that the Council had refused to cooperate with the commission.

"It's the only council in the country which has rejected the commission," Abdullah told reporters.

He gave a new deadline of May 16 for the councillors to submit the declarations or otherwise the commission would announce their refusal to the public. (jun)