T

he People'€™s Voter Education Network (JPPR) has found indications that campaign funding regulations are being violated by candidates running in the December regional elections.

The election watchdog based its findings on a month-long monitoring of candidate activities in nine regions '€” South Tangerang, Banten; Depok, West Java; Palu, Central Sulawesi; Balikpapan, East Kalimantan; Jember, East Java; Maros, South Sulawesi; Semarang, Central Java; Seluma, Bengkulu; and Bantul, Yogyakarta.

The report said a regent and vice regent candidate pair from Seluma, who are supported by the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), received a total of Rp 75 million (US$5,500) from an individual, which is Rp 25 million more than is permitted by General Elections Commission (KPU) regulations.

'€œThe amount was mentioned in their campaign funding report. The total amount they received clearly violates regulations,'€ JPPR national coordinator Masykurudin Hafidz said in press briefing in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He cited KPU regulation No. 8/2015, which stipulates that an individual donor is allowed to donate only up to Rp 50 million, while organizations, institutions or companies can donate no more than Rp 500 million.

The JPPR report further shows that two holding companies split their donations among their subsidiaries so they could donate more than the limit.

'€œSuch a strategy was found in Balikpapan with a mayor and deputy mayor candidate pair,'€ Masykurudin said. The candidate pair is from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

He said the pair received a total of Rp 2 billion from seven companies, each of which donated Rp 250 million to Rp 300 million. The JPPR observers found that three of the companies were under one holding company. The other four companies were under another holding company.

Based on the regulation, he said, neither the candidates nor the companies violated the KPU regulation as each of them donated less than Rp 500 billion. '€œBut it could affect the policy decisions made by the candidates if they'€™re elected. They could arbitrarily make regional regulations that benefit those companies only,'€ he said.

The JPPR also found vast amounts of money from individuals or companies with dubious identities, so-called '€œghost donors'€.

Masykurudin said such a case was found in South Tangerang with an incumbent candidate pair supported by six political parties '€” PAN, NasDem, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Golkar Party, United Development Party (PPP) and National Awakening Party (PKB).

The pair was found to have received Rp 50 million from an individual whose identity is not the same as that mentioned in its campaign funding report.

'€œThis also violates the regulation because all candidates have to mention the full identity of their donors,'€ Masykurudin said.

He said the nine cities or regencies that were selected for monitoring represented several big islands in Indonesia. The JPPR chose the nine as they were rich in natural resources and surrounded by many large resource-based companies.

'€œSo, the nine represent the 269 regions scheduled to hold regional elections this year,'€ he said.

Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) commissioner Nelson Simanjuntak said his agency would immediately follow up on the JPPR report and hand it over to the Bawaslu offices at the provincial levels as the central Bawaslu would take to long to investigate the findings.

'€œOur offices at the provincial level can handle it better because they know more about the situation in those regions,'€ Nelson said.

Nelson added that the candidates as well as the related individuals or companies might be guilty of violating Article 187 paragraphs 5 and 6 of the KPU regulation on campaign funding, which carries a maximum one-year prison sentence orRp 1 billion fine. '€œThe KPU will also have authority to disqualify them,'€ Nelson said. (foy)
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