KPUD fails to submit needed documents

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.