TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government should reject aspiration funds proposed by the House of Representatives (DPR). Disbursing funds to finance Electoral Region Development Fund” or UP2DP has more demerits than merits.
The endorsement of the DPR regulation on the UP2DP on Tuesday last week was not unanimous.
Three parties supporting the government, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), the National Democratic Party (NasDem) and the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura) rejected the aspiration funds with fundamental reasons.
However, they lost in number.
Seven other parties, including the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Development Party (PPP), which are actually parties supporting the government, were unanimous in endorsing the authority to propose the project of infrastructure development in constituencies with the budget of Rp 20 billion per year or Rp 11,2 trillion in the period of five years.
UP2DP only serves as a tool for politicians to become ‘saint clause’ in their constituencies di by using state money.
It is not other than engaging in politics for free.
In fact, every member of the House receives at least recess funds of Rp 600 million per year alias Rp 3 billion in five years, which are meant to educate constituents. That excludes salary, allowance, facilities, as well as funds to disseminate laws and constitutions.
The country’s economic condition that has not recovered yet should have made members of the DPR to have empathy to the hardship of some people.
So, the government as the one authorized to hold the purse strings should not disburse the aspirational funds in the budget of next year and the following years.
Engaging in smart and people-minded politics will no longer exist if the approaches are only through donations to build roads, buildings or irrigation system.
Our founding fathers never taught us that way and never give such examples.
It would be too shallow to implemented the political jargon of "crying and laughing with the people” in such a way.
Those supporting the aspirational funds claim that voters always ask them to build infrastructures every time they meet during recess time or campaign periods.
It proves that they have failed to give them political education as to the function of legislation, budgeting and supervision to the government’s performance entrusted to the DPR as representatives of the Indonesian people.
It is obvious that members of the House of Representatives do not have executive functions such as proposing infrastructure projects in their constituencies.
The Constitutional Court, in the ruling announced on 22 May 2014, revoked the authority of the DPR Budget Body to discuss the proposal of the government’s until technical matters.
The commission is also forbidden to discuss the details of the activities and spending with ministries/institutions.
The decision to revoke the authority, was among others, triggered by graft cases at the Budget Body due to the control of economic access by political party officials at the DPR to the state budget.
UP2DP will do nothing by restoring the control of the economic, while at the same time opposing the ruling of the Constitutional Court.
If these so-called aspirational funds are disbursed, Java region will enjoy the most as most of the seats within the House are taken by politicians from the region.
Then how about Papua?
UP2DP will also trigger primordial politics, as it will compartmentalize members of the DPR into constituencies.
Basically, they represent the whole Indonesian people, while division based on constituencies is only a way to determine representatives through general elections.
President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla must also reprimand parties supporting the government to have one voice in improving the nation.
Both of them must not let those political parties gnaw on the state budget by way of defending the aspirational funds proposal.
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