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Democrats agree with constituency fund plan, despite SBY tweets
Despite comments made by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono against the House of Representativesâ constituency fund plan, the Democratic Party insists that it has no problem with the plan as long as the issues pointed out by Yudhoyono are addressed
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espite comments made by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono against the House of Representatives' constituency fund plan, the Democratic Party insists that it has no problem with the plan as long as the issues pointed out by Yudhoyono are addressed.
Democratic Party chairman Yudhoyono ranted in a series of tweets on Tuesday following the House's collective agreement upon the scheme to allow Rp 20 billion (US$1.5 million) for each House member to develop their respective voter districts, saying that the approving stance of the House democrats was contradictory to his.
Yudhoyono had tweeted about five problems that he felt showed the flaws of the scheme, including concerns on fund management, usage supervision and disconnection between regional leaders and House members.
Party executive chairman Syarief Hasan said that Yudhoyono's comments did not mean that the party disagreed with the plan, but merely highlighted that several pressing issues needed to be addressed before it was carried out.
'The important thing is to clear all concerns regarding this plan before carrying it out. It needs to be clear on execution, transparency and regional coordination. But in principle, the Democratic Party agrees with the plan itself,' Syarief told reporters at the House complex in Jakarta on Wednesday.
However, despite the House agreeing to the plan, he was not sure if the government would ultimately include the plan in the state budget.
Similarly, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) deputy speaker EE Mangindaan, who is also a Democratic Party member, agreed with the fact that Yudhoyono's points must be addressed and fixed before the plan actually begins. (hhr)(+++)
