Tito Proposes Campaign Spending Limits Following String of Regional Head Sting Operations

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian has proposed limiting campaign expenditures for each candidate pair in regional elections (pilkada). The proposal was made in response to a series of sting operations (OTT) conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) against regional heads over the past two months. “I think these rules need to be regulated [campaign spending limits],” Tito said after a meeting at Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR) on Thursday (16/7). Tito believes the recent spate of corruption, bribery, and gratuity cases ensnaring several regional heads is partly caused by their low official income. According to him, a regional head’s salary is only around Rp6 million per month. He suggested that one way to address this is to limit campaign costs, thereby reducing the financial burden on candidates. “The salary of a regional head is just over Rp6 million. Even with additional allowances, it is far less than what they have spent [on the campaign],” Tito stated. To tackle this issue, Tito admitted he had previously proposed allowing regional heads to receive additional income from locally-generated revenue (PAD). However, that option requires further study by both the DPR and the government. Besides that option, limiting campaign expenses in regional elections could also be considered. However, he noted that this option would need to be regulated through a revision of the Pilkada Law. For example, Tito questioned whether every donation received by a regional head candidate should be publicly disclosed. In the United States, every donation must be reported openly. Alternatively, the amount could be capped. “Like in the US, it is transparent. In our country, perhaps the amount that can be donated to a regional head candidate they support could be limited,” Tito said.