Expert asserts need for election-funding law

Expert asserts need for election-funding law

JAKARTA (JP): A law stipulating transparency in election
campaign fund-raising is urgently needed in Indonesia, according
to a noted political and economic observer.

Christianto Wibisono, the director of the Indonesian Business
Center, told The Jakarta Post: "The United States already has
regulations governing financial contributions by private
companies to political parties' campaigns.

"And even then there are loopholes that can be exploited.
Imagine what will become of a country that doesn't have a single
law to regulate such contributions," he said.

Christianto was commenting on a recent statement by Minister
of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo that the political influence
of businesspeople has grown to the extend that they are able to
dictate politicians' and bureaucrats' agendas.

"More and more businesspeople now control politicians, and
even dictate bureaucrats," Siswono said when addressing a
discussion held by the Indonesian National Youth Committee
Friday.

"In the past, it's politicians and bureaucrats who dictated
whether a company could survive, now it's the businessmen that
control officials," he said. He predicted that Indonesia would
see more businesspeople becoming legislators and ministers in the
future.

Siswono and Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief were both
successful businessmen before being appointed ministers in 1988
and 1993 respectively.

Christianto also commented on the recent debates in the United
States about the contributions by Indonesian businessman James
Riady to President Bill Clinton's election campaigns.

"We need to regulate, for instance, the maximum amount
businesspeople can give to political parties' election funds,"
Christianto said. He added that one of the many ways that
businesspeople could assert control over politicians and
bureaucrats is through donating to campaign funds.

If such laws existed, he pointed out, people, especially
businesspeople would then give donations to political parties
simply out of sympathy with the party's cause as they would be
barred from capitalizing on the donation.

"It's normal for businesspeople to be concerned about profits
in the future. But there should be a law to prevent them from
banking on their relationships with politicians to help their
business.

"It's not surprising that businesspeople control politicians
because it happens in many other countries. It is natural that
politics and business are tightly connected," he said.

Political observer Aribowo from the Surabaya-based Airlangga
University and social observer Y.B. Mangunwijaya agreed with the
need for laws regulating election campaign fund-raising as a way
to check businesspeople's influence over politicians and
bureaucrats.

"There's a long history of businesspeople influencing
politicians and bureaucrats, including in Indonesia," Aribowo
said. He pointed out that the practice began here during the Old
Order.

Mangunwijaya, a Catholic priest better known as Romo (Father)
Mangun, said the absence of a law on the issue had left the
domestic political arena dominated by ""political villains."

"It keeps us away from the ideals of the country that our
founding fathers gave birth to," he said.

Both Mangunwijaya and Aribowo agreed that even more important
is the establishment of a true rule of law, a strong legislature,
and social and political control being exercised by the press and
other pressure groups.

The government also provides funding for the campaigns of the
three general election contestants -- the ruling Golkar and the
two minority parties, the Indonesian Democratic Party and the
United Development Party. (26)