KPU to query alleged corruption

CISARUA, West Java (JP): General Elections Commission (KPU) deputy chairman Adnan Buyung Nasution vowed on Sunday to investigate alleged acts of corruption and collusion inside the commission.

He said he would take the issues straight to the commission's plenary session for further investigation because the issues had tarnished the KPU's image in the eyes of the public.

"The allegations of corruption and collusion must be followed up and investigated because it has something to do with the reputation of the commission as an agent of democracy in the country," he said.

Nasution, a government representative in the KPU, admitted that he had received many reports from many sources inside and outside the KPU on corruption and collusion that involved several KPU members.

"I will urge the commission to issue a recommendation for the police and the court to investigate the alleged corruptions," he said. He said that despite being appointed by the president, KPU members were not exempt from the law.

Several members of the KPU's subcommission A and subcommission B are suspected of receiving money from a number of companies which won tenders to print more than 130 million ballots and from a firm which supplied ink needed for the June 7 general election. Rumors of corruption also circulated concerning the purchase of 55 cars for KPU members and the supply of equipment for the commission.

Mustafa Kamal, representative of the Justice Party in the KPU, admitted that he received six checks worth Rp 97 million from some of the printing companies.

"You can calculate it, if about 30 KPU members received such invisible commissions," he told reporters recently when asked about the corruptions.

Meanwhile, KPU secretary-general Amur Muchasim said he knew nothing about the alleged grafts in the commission.

"KPU members do not procure money and they do not handle administrative matters in doing their main jobs to organize the elections. They makes policies and decisions and the secretariat executes them.

"But I don't know whether they colluded with the companies to win bids to supply the ballots and ink," he said in the meeting.

He said the KPU was still being audited by the Development Finance Comptroller and the commission would follow up any irregularities.

Amur admitted that KPU members interfered frequently in the secretariat's internal matters. He declined to explain the interference in detail.

He said that the KPU paid about Rp 2 trillion, 25 percent of which came from the United Nations Development Program, in organizing the general election.

Representative of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Jacob Tobing, expressed his disappointment with reports that representatives of parties were allegedly involved in corruption in both the KPU and the Indonesian Elections Committee (PPI).

"It's quite ironic that the two honorable institutions have been used as places for malpractice, corruption, collusion and disturbances," said Jacob, who is also PPI's chairman. (rms)