Most councillors reject wealth audit commission
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)