TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The move by Sumarsono on his fifth day as acting governor of Jakarta was a good one despite the odd motive behind it. After being sworn in on October 28, he stopped the tender process for 13 infrastructure projects because the Jakarta City Council (DPRD) had not approved funding for the projects. Accelerating tenders is a policy of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is on leave for four months to campaign for the 2017 gubernatorial election. Basuki began the tender process for the one-year projects before the City Council had approved the funding. His reasoning is logical: to prevent delays and to stop corrupt DPRD politicians in attempting to gain commissions.
There is also a legal basis. President Joko Widodo issued Regulation No. 4/2015 on the Supply of Goods and Services. He revised a 2012 regulation stating that tenders could only begin after the legislature had approved the funding. In this new regulation, the funding for projects for which the tender process has been completed will be allocated with the subsequent approval of the legislature.
So far Ahok's method and Jokowi's regulation have prevented the corruption by greedy 'rats' in the DPRD. The problem is that Sumarsono postponed the tender process for another reason. He used this to lobby the DPRD to pass the 2016 and 2017 budgets. He is worried that this year's amended budget will not be approved, resulting in many projects being abandoned.
In previous years, the approval of the Jakarta budget was delayed because the administration and the legislature traded accusations of 'stealth' projects. Sumarsono's move goes back to the old method of discussing the budget, which often accommodates the wishes of rent-seeking politicians of getting a slice of the project cake. In general, politicians scratch around for commissions from companies working on government projects.
But the method used by Ahok and Jokowi also risks being abused. The regulation allowing the tender process to start before the DPRD is involved was sparked by suspicions that the DPRD is corrupt, meaning that it has to be kept away from any possibility of involvement. However, the DPRD exists to balance to government in the discussions of the budget. It is a means of controlling the executive branches' penchant to use tax money as it pleases.
Jokowi's regulation is intended for regional chief executives who are not corrupt. In the hands of crooked officials, the good intention to prevent corruption by using early tenders provides an opportunity for corruption by government officials.
As a result, early tenders would not be good governance because they are based on a desire that cannot be measured. Transparency and accountability should be overseen by a body at the same level as the executive.
Therefore, Sumarsono's decision needs to be supported so tenders can go ahead after the projects and funding have been approved by the DPRD - the people's representation of public control - because this is the democratic process we have chosen. Politicians also must realize that blocking budgets for personal interests prevents the growth of a mature democracy.
Transparent and accountable procedures, such as electronic tenders, could be an effective way for the government to prevent project tender collusion between crooked businessmen, executive officials and greedy politicians. Without systematic efforts to prevent corruption, delaying or continuing with early tenders will not bring about credible budgets for the public interest. (*)
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