Anita Rachman & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Despite weeks of controversy that seemed to kill off the idea, the Golkar Party's proposal to provide billions of rupiah in pork barrel funds to lawmakers is to be included in a House of Representatives Budget Committee report that will go to the government later this week.

The report, which was completed on Tuesday, details the committee's recommendation for the 2011 state budget.

Golkar's Harry Azhar Azis, who chairs the Budget Committee, said its members had agreed to bring the proposal to the president as a program supposedly focused on regional development. Other committee members, however, say they rejected the idea as a wasteful Golkar ploy.

When first aired publicly, the idea was to give Rp 15 billion ($1.64 million) to each lawmaker for development projects in their constituency. Harry said the current proposal did not contain a specific rupiah amount.

"The figure would be a rational one, meaning we are still open to discussion," Harry said. "Each party should be responsible for any ideas they propose.

"The president has been very wise in this matter," he added. "In further talks on how to formulate the 2011 state budget bill, it's no longer the House's domain; it's up to the government."

Harry denied that calling the proposal a development program was an attempt to deflect public criticism. He said the spirit of the proposal, which critics have called corrupt and wasteful, is to assist in balanced regional development. Lawmakers, he insisted, would not personally handle the money.

"A failure to understanding our budget system aroused suspicions. In fact, this is a rational process that will get [us] closer to fulfilling the people's aspirations," he said.

Harry invited other House factions to weigh in on the appropriate amount to be doled out for individual lawmakers to earmark. He said the Rp 15 billion, which would amount to an Rp 8.4 trillion budget expenditure, was still rational and basically insignificant in the total state budget of Rp 1,200 trillion.

Harry will report on the committee's recommendations before a House plenary session on Thursday.

He said that while the budget committee was firm on its decision, he expected the government to treat it as a suggestion not a demand. The plenary, he said, was certain to approve the committee's report. Harry added that follow-up meetings to discuss the proposal would be held between August and October.

Syarifuddin Sudding from the opposition People's Conscience Party (Hanura) said his faction opposed the proposal but was not big enough to stop the idea. The Golkar-chaired ruling coalition is likely to approve the idea, he said. "I think the president will take a safe position."

Lawmaker Hasrul Azwar of the United Development Party (PPP) said the proposal was far from a done deal and that the vigorous protests against it could still result in defeat. "It's still possible for it to be rejected," Hasrul said.

Andi Rahmat from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which also opposes the proposal, said his party remained committed in its objections to the idea.

Meanwhile, the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said it opposed the proposal during the budget committee deliberations, stressing that only Golkar fought for the idea.

The PDI-P's Olly Dondokambey, said: "We rejected the idea. This Golkar idea was only included as a small footnote. The other factions rejected it."