KPU in hot water over alleged budget irregularities
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
House of Representatives legislators slammed the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Tuesday for alleged irregularities in its budget spending for the legislative and presidential polls.
While falling short of saying KPU members were involved in corruption, lawmakers told a hearing of the House Commission II on domestic affairs the elections organizer had failed to draw up a workable plan and comply with the principles of prudence in budget spending.
"The House and the KPU agreed in November last year that the legislative and presidential elections would cost no more than Rp 3 trillion (US$333 million) of taxpayers' money.
"But after organizing the two elections and unwisely spending the budget, the KPU then asks for more money," House member Andi Matalatta of the Golkar faction said.
The KPU is asking for an additional Rp 418 billion in funding for the presidential election runoff, and the request is being discussed by the House's budgetary committee.
Andi said the KPU's excessive spending sprang was because projects and tenders were not handled by professionals.
Legislator Patrialis Akbar of the National Mandate Party faction alleged the KPU had given preference to certain companies in its tendering process, which had resulted in the increased spending.
"I have information that one printing firm got a contract after it proposed that ballot papers would cost the KPU only Rp 141,000 per roll, while another company set the price at Rp 143,000. How can this be? The KPU should have set the same standard for all printing firms," Patrialis said.
He also delved into the high cost the KPU had to pay for its defense lawyers.
"For 2003, payment for the lawyers stood at Rp 750 million. Now, it is up to Rp 1.6 billion. Is this not too much for paying lawyers whose services are used only to intimidate those who say bad things about the KPU," he said.
On Monday, the KPU filed a complaint with the Jakarta Police against a coalition of non-governmental organizations, which earlier reported the commission to the Corruption Eradication Corruption (KPK) for allegedly marking up the prices of election materials, which involved some Rp 375 billion in funds.
Responding to the criticism, KPU chairman Nazaruddin Syamsuddin said the budget expansion was unintended and was the result of hasty preparations when organizing the elections.
"We had to deal with a myriad of difficulties as we only had a short time to prepare all the materials needed for the polls," he said.
Nazaruddin said the increasing number of electorates and the expansion of electoral districts had contributed to the election budget rise.
Later in the day, KPU member Hamid Awaluddin went to the KPK office to provide it with data on the election commission's budget spending in response to the corruption allegations.
Speaking after meeting with KPK member Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, Hamid said the antigraft commission would not investigate the corruption case before the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) wrapped up its audit on the KPU financial report.