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Voter turnout will drop if House insists on bigger budget: Expert

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, August 16, 2017

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Voter turnout will drop if House insists on bigger budget: Expert All set: House of Representatives members prepare to attend a plenary meeting at the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on July 27. (Antara/Wahyu Putro A.)

T

he 2019 legislative election will likely see a lower voter turnout if the House of Representatives insists on asking for a larger budget to construct a new building and apartments for its members, a political expert has said.

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) senior political analyst Syamsuddin Haris said the House’s insistence would impact the public, which might be angered by the lawmakers’ behavior.  

“The people might be disappointed, so the potential of election abstainers, known as golput, will likely be higher in the 2019 legislative election. The government should reject the demand [for a budget increase]. There are many other priorities, such as infrastructure and efforts to reduce social discrepancies, that House members still need to pay close attention to,” Haris said as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The expert said he saw no reason in the House’s insistence for more money to add facilities for its members.

“The House has [shown] a poor work performance, so the institution doesn’t deserve to ask for more facilities,” said Haris.

He also considered the request improper, especially in the country’s current condition, when the state budget is limited and the government was still focusing its attention on infrastructure development.

“Millions of people are still struggling to fight against poverty, so it’s quite immoral if the House wants [more funds],” Haris said.

The House has demanded a Rp 7.2 trillion (US$539 million) increase from the 2018 state budget. (foy/ebf)

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