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View all search resultsJakarta governor candidate Agus denies ‘money politics’ accusation
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Jakarta governor candidate Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (center) greets residents in Pondok Labu, South Jakarta on Oct. 11. Agus denied accusations of vote buying. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
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akarta gubernatorial candidate Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and running mate Sylviana Murni have emphasized that their campaign promise to disburse Rp 1 billion (US$74,197) in each community unit (RW) in the capital per year is not "money politics" or vote buying, but only a community empowerment program.
(Read also: Agus more wealthy than SBY, declared assets suggest)
During the pair’s campaign visit to Pantai Indah Kapuk in North Jakarta on Saturday morning, Agus said the money that will be given to each RW will come from the city budget, not from their own pockets.
“If I and Sylvi disburse our own money and ask people to choose us, then it is 'money politics' [...] But this is different; this program is an elaboration of our vision and mission,” Agus said.
He said the funds could be used by the community to repair waterways, for instance, and representatives from subdistricts could supervise the programs to ensure transparency and accountability.
“We believe that Jakarta’s residents need to be involved in the development of the city. It should not only be a top-down process, but also a bottom-up process,” Agus said.
On Thursday, the Jakarta Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) reported Agus and Sylvi had possibly committed a violation of campaign rules, arguing that the promise of funding was not included in their policy platform.
The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) chairman Sumarno said that he had received the report from the agency. He said that Agus’ promise was not being considered as vote buying, but as an administrative violation. (win/jun)
