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KPK recommends state partially cover expenses of political parties
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For the sake of accountability – Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman Laode M. Syarif (second right) has a picture taken with KPK deputy head for graft prevention Pahala Nainggolan (center), Golkar Party secretary general Idrus Marham (right), Democratic Party secretary general Hinca Pandjaitan (left) and National Mandate Party deputy treasurer Basiruddin (second left) after a press conference on political party funding at the KPK headquarters in Jakarta on Nov.11. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A.)
T
he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has called on the government to cover half of the expenses incurred by political parties in a bid to improve their recruitment processes.
The KPK’s deputy head in charge of prevention, Pahala Nainggolan, said the antigraft body had issued such a recommendation following discussions on the funding of political parties with representatives of 10 Indonesian parties.
“Based on the commission's study, budgeting and recruitment processes in political parties are crucial in the context of strengthening their role [in upholding public interests]," Pahala said at the KPK headquarters on Monday.
It was revealed that fixed and variable expenses of 10 parties attending the discussions, including the Democrat Party and the Golkar Party, amounted to Rp 9.3 trillion (US$693.25 million) per year.
KPK commissioner Laode M. Syarif said it was recommended that the percentage of the state’s financial assistance for the parties would increase gradually until it reached 50 percent in the next 10 years. The percentage would depend on the parties’ performance.
All party cadres should also be obliged to assure the public that policies they devised were in the public interest, he added.
Laode said 35 percent of more than 500 graft cases the KPK had handled this year implicated members of political parties.
“Hence, the financial assistance provided by the state should not be taken for granted. All parties are required to fulfill certain requirements, such as in the way they mobilize their members to collect money. They also must be ready to have their financial reports audited by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK),” he said. (fac/ebf)
