KPUD washes hands of mark-up allegations

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta provincial General Election Commissions (KPUD) said it was not responsible for any alleged mark-ups on the rental fees of houses used for its secretariats in six regions.

KPUD chairman Muhammad Taufik said the selections of those houses were made by a team whose members consisted of representatives from agencies under the city administration including the City Planning Agency, the City Audit Agency (Bawasda) and the City Asset Bureau.

"Those houses were selected before the provincial and municipal/regental KPUDs were established," Taufik said in a hearing with the City Council's Commission A on legal and administration affairs.

Councillors had accused KPUD of marking up the annual rental fees for the houses -- one worth Rp 170 million (US$17,894) in Kepulauan Seribu, and others worth Rp 375 million in North Jakarta, Rp 455 million in West Jakarta, Rp 395 in South Jakarta, Rp 350 million in East Jakarta and Rp 374 million in Central Jakarta.

According to Commission A member Muhammad Arifin, the rental fees were extraordinary high compared to the condition of the houses.

"I know the condition of a building in North Jakarta, which is no better than the one for the provincial secretariat, but its rental fee was only Rp 275 million," said Arifin, a councillor from North Jakarta.

During the hearing, Taufik was accompanied by four other members at the KPUD provincial level and six chairmen of KPUD municipal and Kepulauan Seribu regental levels. The KPUD secretariat, however, was absent.

During the hearing, councillors also questioned budget spending for the procurement of waistcoats, honorariums for volunteers working for the KPUD, election materials dissemination, and training for election organizers from the provincial to subdistrict levels.

They also questioned why the KPUD voted to elect businesses tendering for jobs organizing the legislative and presidential elections in the city.

KPUD member Riza Patria said the votes were the fastest way to organize the tenders, arguing they did not have enough time take part in an open tender process.

The commission adjourned the three-hour hearing until Monday.

During Monday's hearing, the commission will also summon team members who decided on the rental fees for houses, along with the KPUD secretariat.

Last year, Taufik said the Jakarta KPUD received Rp 168.6 billion from the city budget and Rp 5 billion from the state budget for organizing the legislative and first and second presidential elections.

This year, the Jakarta KPUD will receive Rp 3.24 billion for its daily operational costs organizing the regional elections.

Budget for KPUD provincial and municipal/regental levels

No. Expenditure types Rupiah

1. Honorarium for ballot counting and Rp 32.1 billion monitoring of legislative election

2. Honorariums for ballot counting and Rp 31.9 billion

monitoring of first presidential/vice

presidential election

3. Honorarium for ballot counting of Rp 28.5 billion

second vice presidential and

presidential election

4. Honorarium for members of provincial Rp 20.5 billion

KPUD, municipal/regental KPUDs,

and other election organizers

5. Routine spending Rp 7.0 billion

6. Election facilities and equipment Rp 38.7 billion

7. Voter education and election Rp 3.5 billion

material dissemination

8. Training for election organizers Rp 1.2 billion

9. The implementation if election programs Rp 5.1 billion

Total Rp 168.6 billion