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Issue of the day: House gives nod to constituency fund bill

Empty talk: A woman sits amid empty seats at a House of Representatives plenary meeting last year

The Jakarta Post
Tue, June 30, 2015

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Issue of the day: House gives nod to constituency fund bill Empty talk: A woman sits amid empty seats at a House of Representatives plenary meeting last year. Defying criticism of its poor performance, the House has been pushing for the introduction of a constituency fund worth Rp 20 billion [US$1.5 million] for each member to develop their respective electoral districts.(JP/Awo) (JP/Awo)

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span class="inline inline-center">Empty talk: A woman sits amid empty seats at a House of Representatives plenary meeting last year. Defying criticism of its poor performance, the House has been pushing for the introduction of a constituency fund worth Rp 20 billion [US$1.5 million] for each member to develop their respective electoral districts.(JP/Awo)

June 23, Online

The House of Representatives approved on Tuesday a bill allowing the distribution of funds worth Rp 20 billion (US$1.5 million) to each member for the development of their respective electoral districts.

Seven out of 10 party factions voted yes to the plan during a voting session at the House'€™s legislative body (Baleg), with only three factions dissenting: the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Hanura and NasDem.

During the following plenary meeting, several members of the losing side voiced their disapproval of the scheme.

PDI-P lawmaker Arif Wibowo said that the program would exacerbate regional wealth disparities, as some areas, such as West Java, had more representatives at the House than other areas, such as Maluku.

Your comments:

The distribution of funds worth Rp 20 billion to each member for the development of their respective electoral districts is shameful, too much! If one district has 30 representatives from various parties, that small district will receive Rp 600 billion, a lot of money.

Unbelievable, you members of the House of Representatives are very embarrassing!  You will spend money that you do not have. You will borrow money from overseas. How will you pay it back? Or will you enjoy it now during your term and then let the next members deal with the matter? Greedy, disgraceful behavior indeed.

President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, you have a chance to stop the worst scenario for Indonesia. Do not let the House ruin the county.

Please act wisely in the name of the people. If not, the mountainous debt will bury the nation.

The House made proposals to build a glorious new building, with luxurious rooms for each member of the House and Regional Representatives Council (DPD) from each region, where is the money to come from?

Yono Uca

This is outrageous. The controversial base law used is the (infamous) UU-17-2014, aka the MD3 Law. The specific article is 80-j, stating that the House has the right to:  '€œpropose and fight for development programs in their electoral regions'€.  It is absurd!

The House is there on behalf of the whole nation, not on behalf of districts. More fundamentally, the House should not be given the right to propose projects because there is no counter institution to check them.

The President is checked by the House, but nobody checks the House. This will be like giving out a Rp 11.2-trillion blank check!

Sudarshana Chakrta

Look at those greedy people calling themselves the representatives of the people: Rp 20 billion for each member. Common folk are still living on less than US$2 a day, and yet the '€œrepresentatives'€ steal 20 billion for themselves.

Mba

Distribution of the development funds must not be at the discretion of one person whose continued stay in elected political office is subject to popular votes. His decisions will be skewed by his political interests designed to ensure his reelection versus the real needs of the electoral district he serves.

Development funds should be distributed by official state or regency development agencies tasked with systematic reviews of regional needs and evaluation and approval of qualified applicants who meet an objective criteria-based selection process.

Political supporters or not are eligible to apply. I foresee the funds will be abused for personal use or quasi or fictitious development projects. This is a bad concept that the President and the people must reject.

James Waworoendeng

Besides widening the already wide gap between Java and other islands, we will see more legislators jailed for embezzling the funds.

The House has seen to that by killing off the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). That'€™s why the pork barrel scheme can now go through so smoothly.  

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