Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – With the financial crisis set to drain political parties' coffers, it seems contenders in the 2009 elections could happily welcome any donations, no matter who they come from.
Political campaign funds could end up coming from businesspeople who absconded abroad with a fortune in state money to evade justice, experts warned on Sunday.
Elections observers said that, because donor contributions remained nontransparent, such donations might violate the 2008 election law, which caps donations at Rp 1 billion for an individual and Rp 5 billion for a legal entity.
A move by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) to honor former president Soeharto as a hero and teacher of the nation in its recent TV advertisements has been seen as a matter of finance, given the fortune of the former first family.
"The ads are really just an attempt to seek an alliance with the Cendana family to strengthen the party's financial position. We know that the PKS is not a party with much money," said Bima Arya Sugiarto, a political analyst from Paramadina University.
"Cendana" is the name of the street on which Soeharto's family lives.
But PKS chairman Tifatul Sembiring denied any financial help from Soeharto's family. "No, they didn't finance our latest ads," he said. "We have never received money from them."
The PKS has built its image on its fight against corruption, which plagued the Soeharto administration. Even since the former president's demise last January, the government has not halted its pursuit of the state money he allegedly embezzled.
"Dirty" businesspeople may have channeled billions of rupiah to parties so they can use their political connections for investment purposes or to have themselves cleared of any charges, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) researcher Siti Zuhro said.
"Political parties will grab any funds given to them. These businesspeople give hard cash inside suitcases instead of transferring the money through the banks. This way, they can bury their trail, and the parties can avoid being accused of breaking the law," she said.
The current downturn in the markets has dragged many political parties into financial trouble, forcing them to scale back their television advertising.
Young figure Rizal Mallarangeng, widely known for his connection to Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, forfeited his presidential bid citing a "lack of electability".
National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Soetrisno Bachir has reportedly lost Rp 3 trillion (US$300 million) on the stock market while Golkar politicians have also admitted that problems in the Bakrie family businesses have reduced donations to the party from Aburizal.