T

he Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) has reported President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the Elections Monitoring Agency (Bawaslu) for allegedly using state money to finance the Democratic Party'€™s recent political campaign in Lampung.

'€œUsing state money to finance political campaigns is a serious violation according to the General Election Law,'€ KIPP'€™s deputy secretary-general, Girindra Sandino, said in a statement on Friday.

'€œThe law stipulates that political campaigns can only be financed by political parties. In addition, the law also states that political parties cannot accept campaign financing from foreign investors, anonymous entities, the government at any administrative level or village heads,'€ he added.

Girindra said that Yudhoyono, who is also the Democratic Party'€™s chairman, flew to Lampung on the presidential plane on a trip paid for by the state.

'€œIn Lampung, the President did nothing but participate in a political campaign for the Democratic Party. So, this trip can be considered a state-financed political campaign,'€ he argued.

Girindra added that what Yudhoyono had done also contravened the principle of fairness among political parties contesting the general election, as he had the authority to use state facilities for his party'€™s interests.

He said Yudhoyono'€™s actions needed to be clarified by Bawaslu.

'€œWe have urged Bawaslu to immediately summon the President so that questions can be asked,'€ Girindra said.

'€œBawaslu must ask the President whether he had complied with the provision in the General Election Law that requires all political parties to report all financing emanating from state funds to the General Elections Commission (KPU) no more than 14 days after the campaign period ends,'€ he added.

In response to the KIPP'€™s demand, Bawaslu commissioner Nelson Simanjuntak said there was no need to summon Yudhoyono for clarification.

'€œHe [Yudhoyono] has assistants who manage his trips,'€ Nelson said as quoted by kompas.com.

Previously, Bawaslu chairman Muhammad had said Yudhoyono was allowed to go on the Democratic Party'€™s campaign trail, and that the law also allowed the President to use the presidential plane to attend events, even if they were extraneous to his duties as the country'€™s president.

Said Salahudin, a political analyst with the People'€™s Synergy for Democracy in Indonesia (Sigma), said that Muhammad'€™s statement indicated that Bawaslu was not neutral in its stance toward the President.

'€œIt seems like he [Muhammad] is protecting the President. How come he so quickly said that it [the use of the presidential plane] was not a violation? An election supervisor should only conclude that a violation has or has not been committed after an in-depth investigation,'€ he said.

Furthermore, Salahudin said that Muhammad should not comment on a case that could be perceived as an election violation.

'€œHis premature conclusion breeds doubt among the public, who are being encouraged to report violations to Bawaslu,'€ he said.

Separately, Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam confirmed that Yudhoyono'€™s trip to Lampung was indeed financed by the state, but he said he did not think it was a violation of the principle of fairness as laid out in the General Election Law.

'€œAir trips, both during campaign periods and outside them, are conducted in line with SBY'€™s [Yudhoyono] capacity as President,'€ Dipo said in a statement.

Dipo said that Yudhoyono had not worn any party attributes during his journey from Jakarta to Lampung and, therefore, he believed the President could not be considered as having been involved in political campaigning at that time.

Dipo added that Yudhoyono only decided he wanted to attend the Democratic Party'€™s campaign event after he arrived in Lampung. Only then did he attire himself with party attributes, and only after that point could he no longer use state facilities or funds.

In Medan, North Sumatra, State Secretary Sudi Silalahi concurred with Dipo'€™s statement, emphasizing that the use of the state budget to finance Yudhoyono'€™s trips as President '€” to numerous places nationwide '€” had been in line with all regulations.

'€œThe President always obeys the law,'€ Sudi said.

Apriadi Gunawan contributed from Medan, North Sumatra.