Rabby Pramudatama and Margareth Aritonang, Jakarta – Several politicians have defended their parties' decisions to keep financial reports from the public, saying they had submitted the reports to the General Elections Commission (KPU).
They also questioned the motives behind Indonesia Corruption Watch's (ICW) request for financial reports from the political parties.
The politicians were responding to the ICW which had reported nine political parties to the Central Information Commission (KIP) for failing to disclose their financial reports to the public.
"Who is the ICW anyway? ICW itself has not been transparent with its reports," Nasir Djamil of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) told The Jakarta Post late on Tuesday. "Just ask ICW whether or not they have disclosed their true donors to the public."
Nasir said it would be better for ICW to help the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigate big graft cases such as the Hambalang or Bank Century scandals instead of focusing on minor matters.
In addition, he said political parties did not have an obligation to fulfill ICW's request. "Political parties should report to the General Elections Commission [KPU] not to the ICW," he said.
The ICW reported nine major political parties to the KIP after the parties ignored their request to provide their 2010 and 2011 financial reports.
The nine parties that declined to fulfill the request are the Democratic Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the United Development Party (PPP), the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra), the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) and the PKS, according to the ICW.
ICW researcher Apung Widadi alleged that the parties had declined to make public their financial reports to hide money-laundering practices. He said that the parties might have been cryptic in their financial reports as they did not have good financial management systems in place needed to compile reports.
PDI-P lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari, meanwhile, said political parties had two sources of funding; from the state budget (APBN) and from their internal resources.
Eva said that usually the parties only reported their State Budget funds to the public. "While the internal resources, which usually made up the biggest part of party funds, are usually reported to party officials through certain mechanisms, usually at year-end meetings," she told the Post.
Under the 2008 Political Parties Law, political parties receiving public funding must disclose their spending in reports submitted to the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).
The nine parties questioned by ICW are entitled to public money as they hold almost all the seats in the House of Representatives (DPR).The money is allotted based on their performances in the 2000 election.
Under the 2010 State Budget, the Democratic Party, for example, received Rp 2.34 billion (US$248,040) in public money, while Golkar received Rp 1.62 billion and the PDI-P received Rp 1.57 billion.
PKS legislator and member of House Commission III, Indra, agreed that political parties should be open in their financial reports as stipulated in the law on access to public information.
"It serves as a mechanism to ensure political parties' accountability," he said. Indra, however, questioned ICW's intentions in requesting the information.