Anita Rachman & Irvan Tisnabudi – The Golkar Party's controversial proposal to give each lawmaker Rp 15 billion ($1.6 million) to development their constituencies looks all but dead after the speaker of the House of Representatives and cabinet ministers on Tuesday strongly criticized the plan.
House Speaker Marzuki Alie, a Democrat, called the Rp 8.4 trillion proposal "theft from the state's budget." He said development for villages must be based on clear programs, rather than a fund simply divided up among lawmakers.
Deputy House Speaker Pramono Anung, from the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), also said discussions of the "pork-barrel" scheme would end badly given the likelihood of the funds being misused. He said Golkar was the only party backing the proposal.
Pramono said that at a House leaders' meeting on Monday evening, several factions, including the PDI-P, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP), had responded negatively to the plan.
"I am sure it will never find a way to be realized," he said. "I personally opposed the idea because it's very prone to misuse."
Pramono pointed to the question marks over the proposal: how transparent its mechanism would be, whether it would be drawn from state or local budgets, and how it would be responsibly managed by lawmakers or local governments.
Anis Matta, another deputy speaker as well as the general secretary of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said Monday's meeting was informal and Golkar was free to propose the fund. "But most of us will not stand to pass the proposal," he said.
Anis said the plan would not reduce the development gap, as 60 percent of the fund would end up in Java as it had the most lawmakers.
Cabinet ministers joined the chorus of rejection. "The state budget both for this year and the next has covered the financial needs of the regions well," Coordinating Minister on the Economy Hatta Rajasa said. The additional funds would lead to "instability" of the nation's finances.
Minister for State Development Planning Armida Alisjahbana said the government would not entertain the plan.
She said infrastructure development, especially for sustainable energy, would require more capital, but that this should be prioritized in the state budget instead of being put in lawmakers' hands.
"The global demand for clean energy use will expand our infrastructure priorities, especially for the Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries," she said.
Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo has previously said that he too would reject the Golkar plan.
Deputy House Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, of Golkar, said his party would honor any decisions made by the legislature and the government. But he said the party's objective was just to develop all areas in the country, especially smaller or more remote areas.
Privo said Golkar was preparing an alternative plan. "If the Rp 15 billion proposal is rejected, that is okay. If it is accepted, thank God!" Priyo said. "But we are preparing to propose another scheme – Rp 1 billion for each subdistrict or village throughout Indonesia."