KPK Says No to Rp1bn Registration Fee for Golkar Chairmanship

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The organizing committee of Golkar Party’s extraordinary national meeting has asked for approval from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Rp1 billion registration fee for the party’s chairmanship candidate. According to deputy chairman of Golkar’s extraordinary meeting ethics committee Lawrence Siburian, the KPK leaders has prohibited the payment of the registration fee.

“The KPK has prohibited the Rp1 billion requirement; It can be regarded as gratification, because the candidates are state officials,” Lawrence said at the KPK building Jakarta, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. He met with four KPK leaders namely Agus Rahardjo, Basaria Panjaitan, Laode M Syarif and Alexander Marwatta. The KPK deputy officials also attended the meeting.

Lawrence said the selected candidate may come from Golkar cadres actively serving as member of the House of Representatives, regent, governor or mayor. Therefore, to avoid gratification, the Ethics Committee of the Extraordinary Meeting will change the regulation on mandatory fee of Rp1 billion for chairmanship candidate.

He confirmed that the organizing committee will return the fee which has been paid by would-be candidates. “The aim is to improve the party and eradicate corruption,” he said. Golkar is ready to engage with the KPK for consultation and monitoring of the extraordinary meeting, he said.

Earlier, the mandatory fee of Rp1 billion was set last week in a plenary meeting of Golkar Central Leadership Council. In addition to mandatory fee, Golkar has also asked for donation from all of its cadres to fund the extraordinary meeting.

Chairman of election committee Rambe Kamrul Zaman explained that the fee of Rp1 billion is payable before the verification team make a decision on the candidate who would qualify in the registration phase. According to him, Golkar will tighten the fee requirement to fund the party. “Because political party has no fund for future [operation],” he said.

Despite its mandatory nature, a number of would-be candidates have been refusing to pay the fee. One candidate, Indra Bambang Utoyo, has refused to pay it citing the party’s articles of association. “If I fail to qualify because of this issue [the fee], well, it’s up to them,” he said.

ARIEF HIDAYAT