KPUD fails to submit needed documents
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) members disappointed on Monday the City Council's expectations by not producing key 2004 elections documents, arousing suspicion of corruption in the commission.
The KPUD members had promised during a hearing last Wednesday to hand over procurement documents for the 2004 elections at a second hearing scheduled for Monday.
"We are very disappointed that the KPUD members didn't hand over the documents they promised to submit (today)," said secretary to Council Commission A for administration and government affairs Raja Natal Sitinjak.
He said the failure to produce the documents heightened suspicions that the KPUD members had misused their budget of Rp 168.6 billion (US$17.15 million) in the 2004 general and presidential elections.
City councillors are in the process of examining allegations of fund misuses by KPUD members in the procurement of goods and services in the elections, particularly in renting houses for municipal and regental KPUD secretariats.
They questioned the figures quoted for yearly rental fees -- Rp 170 million (US$17,894) for a house in Kepulauan Seribu, Rp 375 million for North Jakarta, Rp 455 million for West Jakarta, Rp 395 million for South Jakarta, Rp 350 million in East Jakarta, and Rp 374 million in Central Jakarta.
Monday's hearing was arranged to discuss the allegations, but Commission A refused to continue with the hearing until the KPUD handed over the documents.
After a heated debate, the councillors and KPUD members agreed to meet again next Friday, but the KPUD was told to hand over the documents by Wednesday.
The documents include the recapitulation of budget use, contracts of houses for KPUD secretariats, procurements of goods and services, tax payment documents and expenditure for voters' education.
Rois Hadayana Syaudie, a member of Commission A, said the KPUD had no excuse for failing to hand over the documents as they were among the commission's archives.
"The general election was held last year. All those documents should be filed at the KPUD. For me, its failure to hand over the documents indicates embezzlement in the KPUD," Rois said.
Rois acknowledged he was unhappy about the postponement, saying the KPUD's uncooperativeness was unacceptable as the commission has the authority to monitor the use of taxpayers' money.
KPUD member Riza Patria said that KPUD's failure to produce the documents was due to technical reasons, because it wanted to make "comprehensive reports".
"We will hand over all required documents on Wednesday so that councillors have time to study them before the hearing on Friday," he told The Jakarta Post.
Apart from the Rp 168.6 billion it was allocated from the city budget, the KPUD received another Rp 5 billion from the state budget for organizing the 2004 elections. This year, the KPUD received Rp 3.24 billion for its daily operational costs.