Questionable funds for councillors 'not a gift'
Questionable funds for councillors 'not a gift'
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Responding to the widespread criticism of the Rp 25 billion given
to members of the West Java legislature, Governor R. Nuriana said
the money was not a gift but was released at the request of the
legislative council.
News of the payment to the council sparked protests by
numerous student organizations and non-governmental
organizations, which have demanded the legislative council return
the money to the provincial administration because the funds were
taken from the 2002 provincial budget.
There have been allegations that the governor released the
funds to ensure the legislative council's acceptance of his
accountability speech.
"It is up to the councillors if they want to return the funds,
because it was the legislative council that took the initiative
to ask for the money," the governor said here over the weekend.
He added that he had yet to receive a statement or report from
the council on any plan to return the money.
A number of councillors, each of whom received Rp 250 million,
have expressed their willingness to return the money, but so far
have failed to do so, apparently because they have already spent
the money to purchase land.
Eka Santosa, the chairman of the legislative council, said
last week the councillors would return the money in order to
restore the tarnished image of the legislative council.
"It is their business. Just ask them when and where they will
return the funds they asked for during a plenary session early
this month," Nuriana reiterated.
The secretary of the West Java administration, Danny Setiawan,
said he hoped the councillors could return the money immediately
so he could revise the provincial budget.
Setia Untung Arimuladi, the spokesman for the West Java
Attorney General's Office, said his office had completed a
preliminary investigation of the disbursement of the funds.
According to Law No. 22/1999, councillors are prohibited from
accepting bribes or gifts that could influence the decisions of
the legislature.
Meanwhile, hundreds of activists from five non-governmental,
student and youth organizations from across the province staged a
protest against the councillors failure to return the money.
They questioned the councillors' commitment to returning the
money, noting that they have not even met with the governor to
discuss the matter.
"They are even busy discussing how to use Rp 100 billion of
supplementary funds to repair damaged roads."
Some 150 demonstrators, who said they were from the White and
Red Brigade, which is part of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), blocked off the governor's office and
demanded Nuriana step down because of the scandal.