Jakarta – As much as 60-70 percent of the 2007 state budget (APBN) or between 457-534 trillion rupiah was depleted for the bureaucratic costs of the government, legislator and law enforcement agencies. The total state budget for 2007 was 763 trillion rupiah.
This was conveyed by the secretary general for the National Secretariat of the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra), Arif Nur Alam, at an event titled Reflections on the Management of the 2007 Public Budget on Sunday January 13 in Jakarta.
Bureaucratic costs included wages, allowances, office facilities and equipment, official residences and official travel costs. “So only 30-40 percent of the 2007 APBN was used for development and the public interest”, he said.
Alam explained that this can be seen from the Budget Activities Plan’s (RKA) of each agency. The National Education Departments RKA for example only put aside 15 percent or 7.5 trillion rupiah out of 51.3 trillion rupiah of its budget for the rehabilitation of schools, scholarships and libraries. The remainder was used for programs with no direct relationship with education activities such as the administration of civil service personnel, office facilities and equipment as well as official travel allowances.
Out of the 1.3 trillion rupiah budget for the House of Representatives (DPR) meanwhile, 61 percent or around 800 billion rupiah was used to meet the needs of DPR members, that is 190.8 billion for wages, honorariums, allowances and health insurance. Electricity, telephone and communication subsidies consumed 185 billion rupiah while various kinds of daily allowances represented 257 billion rupiah. Some 87.5 billion rupiah was used for operations and transportation and 92.4 billion rupiah were used for the procurement of specialist staff and assistants.
According to a staff member A.R. Muttaqin from Fitra’s Advocacy and Investigation Division, out of the 18.7 trillion rupiah budget for the national police, 82 percent was used to pay wages, allowances and office facilities and equipment. Only 18 percent were used for investigations, security and to protect the public.
The situation is similar in other law enforcement agencies such as the Attorney General’s Office, the Supreme Court, the National Human Rights Commission, the Judicial Commission and the Corruption Eradication Commission.
Fitra’s Analysis and Study Coordinator Yenni Sucipto said that if the state cared about the ordinary people, most of the 2008 state budget should be allocated to serve the interests of the people. “In order for this [to happen], efficiencies must be carried out immediately”, said Sucipto. (REI)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
