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Activists dismiss lawmakers' arguments for pork barrel scheme

Jakarta Globe - June 12, 2015

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Yustinus Paat, Markus Sihaloho & Hotman Siregar, Jakarta – Activists and experts continue to criticize attempts by the House of Representatives to introduce a pork barrel scheme, saying that it is counterproductive, prone to graft and unconstitutional.

Lawmakers are pushing the government to include a Rp 11.2 trillion ($840 million) Electoral Region Development Fund (UP2DP) in next year's state budget.

The proposed fund, which is similar to the House's "aspiration funds" which in the past faced wide public rejection, will be distributed among all 560 representatives and used for any development project of their choosing in their respective electoral regions. The House on Friday formed a team to work the scheme's details.

"There is no special supervision [on the funds' use] because this UP2DP fund will be included in the state budget, which is already audited by the Supreme Audit Agency [BPK]," said the team's chairman, Totok Daryanto.

"The programs are proposed by the people. The House is simply channeling the people's aspirations," the National Mandate Party (PAN) lawmaker continued. "We are not taking over the executives' jobs. [The legislature] and the government both have the same job: to develop the country."

Roy Salam, a researcher at watchdog the Indonesia Budget Center, criticized the plan, saying that by putting funds directly in the hands of lawmakers, the legislature will move into an executive role.

"This is against the Constitution, which limits the role of the House in state affairs," he said on Friday. "Aside from that, aspiration funds can be spent on projects that are not necessarily needed by their constituents but may be politically and financially beneficial [for the lawmakers]. This allows rooms for embezzlement and waste."

Lawmakers have argued that such funding is important for lawmakers who often receive suggestions from their constituents on the type of projects their respective electoral regions need.

Allowing some state funds to be controlled by all 560 lawmakers "guarantees that people's aspirations will be heard," Golkar Party lawmaker Ahmadi Noor Supi said on Tuesday.

Roy dismissed this argument, saying that by law, the legislature already has a say in how the government should spend money.

"The House only needs to maximize its three functions: legislation, budgeting and supervision, to address the problems faced by their constituents at their respective regions," the researcher said.

Regional autonomy expert Djohermansyah, a former senior government official, said the proposed aspiration funds will only aggravate inequalities and not the other way around, as lawmakers have argued.

Under the scheme, he explained, the already well-developed city of Jakarta, represented by 18 lawmakers at the House, will obtain between Rp 270 billion and Rp 360 billion in additional funds while the entire province of West Papua, represented by just three lawmakers, will get between Rp 45 billion to Rp 60 billion despite having a high rate of poverty, low access to health care and very little infrastructure.

Lucius Karus, a senior researcher at watchdog called Concerned Citizens for the Indonesian Legislature (Formappi), said that there was no guarantee that the projects the lawmakers proposed would not overlap with those of the central and regional governments. The aspiration funds "will be nothing more than a waste of taxpayers' money," he said.

Lucius said he was also worried about the lack of clear guidelines and regulations on what type of projects the funding can be used for and who gets to oversee and audit the projects.

"The House has been monitoring how the government spends money in the field. But if the House also plays a part in infrastructure development, who would monitor them?" he said. The lack of supervision means corrupt representatives may award the projects to cronies and relatives, the activist continued.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) also has its doubts about the planned scheme.

"The House must explain transparently and in detail the purpose of the aspiration funds," said KPK interim deputy chairman Indriyanto Seno Adji. "We don't want this aspiration fund to create another opportunity for corruption."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/activists-dismiss-lawmakers-arguments-pork-barrel-scheme/.