Oyos Saroso H.N. and Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung/Padang | Wed, 01/06/2010 9:38 AM
Speculation has been raised in Bandarlampung that the surging amount of assistance funds from the current city budget may have benefited the incumbent mayor, who is set to run again in the upcoming June election.
The allocation of assistance funds from the city’s budget surged from Rp 38 billion (US$4.06 million) in 2009 to Rp 52 billion in 2010.
“As the funds are informal cash payments, recipients usually fail to provide accurate financial reports.
“That’s why the funds are very prone to misappropriation, especially for the sake of winning the next election,” head of the Lampung Public Participation Coalition (KPPP) Ahmad Yulden Erwin said on Tuesday.
According to Erwin, the augmentation of the assistance budget is regarded as systematic corruption because it involves the executive and legislative institutions.
“Of the Rp 52 billion in assistance funds, only Rp 2 billion will be allocated to the Bandarlampung General Elections Commission (KPUD) and Rp 1.063 billion for election security, while the rest
is unclear. But obviously, the funds will be used up without transparent financial accountability,” said Erwin.
Indonesian Awakening and Conscience Party faction (an affiliation of the National Awakening Party, the Great Indonesia Movement Party, the People’s Conscience Party and the Freedom Bull Nationalist Party) spokesman Jimmy Khomeini said his faction had actually rejected the assistance funding that is currently under suspicion.
“The funds for social assistance and spending tend to be augmented for the next mayoral election, so they are likely to be used for the incumbent’s political interests,” said Khomeini.
Mayor Eddy denied the accusation and said the Rp 52 billion was not for the political costs of the mayoral election, but for the people.
Bandarlampung municipal council speaker Budiman A.S. said the assistance funds and grants were aimed at accommodating public activities and had not been distributed through working units, but through financial offices under the mayor’s direct supervision.
“We have set the budget and will not discuss it again,” said Budiman, a Democratic Party politician.
Eddy, who is currently Bandarlampung’s Golkar Party chairman, was nominated by the Democratic Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the United Development Party (PPP) to run in the mayoral election.
Meanwhile, West Sumatra will hold direct gubernatorial as well as regional leadership elections simultaneously in 14 regencies and mayoralties in July this year.
Padangpariaman, which was worst-hit by the earthquake in September last year, will also hold its regency election.
