Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Claims that local election officials demanded payment from political parties for legislative seats have emerged from two new regencies in Lampung.
The two regencies – West Tulangbawang and Mesuji – just recently gained autonomy from the Tulangbawang administration.
Party leader Khairi (not his real name) claimed his party was forced to make cash payments of up to Rp 200 million (about US$20,000) to the Tulangbawang elections commission (KPUD) in order to hold onto the votes and seats they won in the April 9 legislative elections.
"We deposited money through a middleman who contacted us. We had to pay because they are in power now," he said.
Khairi said due to the marginal difference in the number of votes won by certain parties, successful legislative candidates in both regencies were forced to make payoffs in order to maintain their seats.
"If we failed to deposit cash, our votes could easily have been given to other candidates. If a decision is made by the KPU, it is final, so there would have been no opportunity for protest at the newly established regency legislatures," he said.
KPUD Tulangbawang head, Novi Marzani, said his office had never been involved in unethical deals involving legislative seats in the West Tulangbawang and Mesuji legislatures. "Please prove if such a practice ever existed," he said.
There have been widespread allegations of legislative seat transactions taking place in the two new regencies because of a lack of transparency during the vote count.
The head of the National Democratic Party (PDK) executive board, Khamamik, said the KPUD should act professionally and transparently.
Khamamik claimed his party was unable to see the official vote recount documents from the 15 districts. "Due to this (inefficiency), the appointment of councilors at the West Tulangbawang and Mesuji legislatures should be scrutinized heavily," he said.
Head of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in Tulangbawang, A.A. Syofandi, said based on the vote count from the April elections, his party was expected to obtain three seats in Mesuji and five seats in West Tulangbawang.
"We don't have the recount forms, so the seats that we have obtained could very easily be sold," he said.
The central General Elections Commission (KPU) has urged the KPUD in Tulangbawang to immediately submit a statement outlining seat allocations and electoral districts for the two regencies.
Lampung KPUD head, Edwin Hanibal, said that in order to decide the number of seats at the Mesuji legislature, the total population for the area would have to be verified.
Edwin said between 30 and 35 seats will be allocated to both new regencies, and the KPUDs and supervisory committees of the parent regencies would decide on where the remaining legislative seats will go.
"We will coordinate with the regents of the new autonomous regencies to allocate the legislative seats after everything has been completed," said Edwin.