PPI members want Rp 150 million each

JAKARTA (JP): The National Elections Committee (PPI) has asked for Rp 150 million in compensation for each of its 59 members from the General Elections Commission (KPU).

This request was revealed on Friday by a government representative on the KPU, Afan Gaffar, during a meeting between the House of Representatives and Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid.

Afan said the KPU received a letter a few months ago from the PPI raising the issue. The PPI, which was established on March 16, will be disbanded in November or December when it completes its reports on the elections process.

According to the latest deadline set by the KPU, the final allocation of seats in the House of Representatives is to be announced on Saturday. However, as of Friday the PPI was still awaiting the KPU's decision on how seats should be allocated based on vote-sharing agreements.

Afan revealed the request for compensation made by the PPI in relation to reports on possible compensation payments of up to Rp 150 million for legislators.

"Why was only the issue of compensation for legislators blown up while the PPI has also made such a request," he said.

Members of regional elections committees in North Sulawesi reportedly received a total of Rp 7 billion in cash bonuses in June.

Meanwhile, Afan said the public should be patient in waiting for the final allocation of seats in the House.

He said the smaller parties which failed to win enough votes to qualify for the next elections "were prone to blackmail so they could get enough attention". He said the 1955 elections were also delayed by complaints from smaller parties.

"There are several irrational demands from smaller parties, such as distributing the remaining 120 seats (in the House) to all parties," he said.

The meeting at the House also raised the problem of the internal rules of provincial legislative bodies.

Legislators said Syarwan should not have issued decrees on the matter. The decrees were signed earlier this month.

A legislator from the United Development Party (PPP), Robbani Thoha, said despite Syarwan's insistence the decrees only aimed to provide guidelines on internal rules, "at lower levels, decrees were taken as instructions".

Robbani said the decrees on the internal rules of provincial legislative bodies would pose problems, and the rules should be formulated by council members themselves.

He said one problem was the decrees' requirement that each faction in provincial or regional councils have a minimum of 10 percent of the seats in the council.

"Factions are the vehicle of a party's struggle (in the councils)," Robbani said. The decrees propose that parties which failed to win 10 percent of the seats merge with other parties to form a faction.

"If parties merge how are legislators supposed to struggle on behalf of their parties," Robbani said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs director general for administration and provincial autonomy, Ryaas Rasyid, said the councilors could easily change the guidelines if they wished.

"We are only trying to help," he said. (05)