KPUD unable to explain expenses

KPUD unable to explain expenses

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Officials from the Jakarta provincial Elections Commission (KPUD)
were unable on Friday to justify expenses in their Rp 168.6
billion (US$17.5 million) budget for 2004, raising suspicions
that the bulk of the money has been stolen.

During a hearing with City Council's Commission A for legal
and administrative affairs, KPUD members, for example, failed to
explain why they paid Rp 170 million in rent for a secretariat
and two store houses in the Kepulauan Seribu regency.

Councillor member Rois Hadayana Syaugie told the commission
that during a recent visit to the regency local residents told
him that the three houses were rented for Rp 12 million, Rp 9
million and Rp 4.5 million respectively.

"Even if we set the rental fees of those houses at Rp 25
million each, including furniture, KPUD should have only spent Rp
71 million (in total) for the three houses," said Roys, stressing
that in fact the commission paid Rp 170 million.

The commission also failed to explain inconsistencies in data
on the number of waistcoats purchased for election organizers.

The KPUD had said earlier that it bought 250,000 waistcoats,
but according to KPUD data submitted to the Council recently, it
purchased only 180,000 waistcoats.

The KPUD had spent Rp 12 billion on the waistcoats, meaning it
paid Rp 71,000 per piece, far higher than the market price of Rp
25,000.

The commission also failed to present documentation for its
so-called voter education program, on which it spent Rp 3.59
billion.

Councillor Vike Verry Ponto said after the hearing that the
commission concluded that there was a strong indication that a
significant amount of money had been stolen from the KPUD budget
during the 2004 elections.

KPUD secretary Abdullah, meanwhile, denied that he was
responsible for the disbursement of the Rp 168.6 billion budget.
He said that spending was the responsibility of KPUD chairman
Muhammad Taufik.

"The KPUD secretary was responsible for Rp 5.4 billion in
funds from the state budget," said Abdullah.

Meanwhile, commission A member Inggard Joshua said the city
administration should be blamed for the stolen KPUD funds because
it had disbursed a large amount of money without assigning
responsible officials to manage it.