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.