Most councillors reject wealth audit commission

JAKARTA (JP): Most of the city councillors rejected on Thursday a mandatory audit of their wealth to be conducted by the Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN), a commission member revealed.

KPKPN's legislative committee chief, Abdullah Hehamahua, said that, during a closed-door meeting, the councillors had insisted that they were not subject to the audit because they were not classified as state officials.

As a result, the councillors said they would not complete the forms provided for them to declare their assets, Abdullah added.

"They are the only legislative council members who are resisting the wealth audit. I'm surprised that they don't know much about the law," Abdullah told reporters after the meeting.

He said that over 50 percent of councillors across the country had already returned their forms.

Law 127/1999 on state officials incorporates city councillors in the list of state officials, due to earnings they derive from the city budget. Based on that stipulation, Abdullah insisted that the councillors had no grounds for evasion of the audit.

"They consume state or city budget funds, therefore they have to be audited," Abdullah, who is also chairman of the Islamic- based New Masyumi Party, remarked.

He suggested that the councillors' rejection was a consequence of political freedom in the reform era.

"We can tolerate difference in opinion, but it should not go uncontrolled," he said.

Unlike the first meeting, when KPKPN members distributed the declaration of wealth forms three weeks ago, Tuesday's meeting was held behind closed doors at city hall.

Most councillors refused to comment on the two-hour meeting, which started at 2 p.m.

Councillor Abdul Azis Matnur admitted that the councillors rejected to be classified as state officials since they were not paid and did not receive pensions.

"Our salary has no clear standards. Also, we do not receive pensions like other officials," Azis, a member of the Justice Party, told reporters after the meeting.

Instead of being paid a salary, city councillors receive a monthly "honorary cash reward" amounting to Rp 7 million (US$700), excluding meeting fees and travel allowances.

Another councillor, Ugiek Sugihardjo, agreed with Azis, saying that the audit commission's authority remained questionable.

"We do not reject it, we just question its authority," Ugiek, of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, said.

Many councillors have not completed the forms due to the burden of their daily activities, especially their preparations for the final response to Governor Sutiyoso's accountability speech, scheduled for April 30, according to Ugiek.

The councillors, he said, demanded that the deadline for submission of the forms be extended. He did not suggest how long the extension should be.

Ugiek said many of the forms were being kept at the council's secretariat.

But sources said that councillors had intentionally asked the secretariat to hold the forms until the audit commission returned.

Abdullah said he would bow to the councillors' request and set a new deadline for the submission of forms, likely to be May 16.

"We will issue warrants if they refuse to submit the forms (after the revised deadline)," he said. (jun)