JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD denied that the 2020 Pilkada implementation budget had not been disbursed. Mahfud said that the budget had been disbursed to the KPU, but KPU Chairman Arief Budiman had not received this information from the KPU RI Secretariat General.
"It's just a miscommunication. The Minister of Finance has disbursed it to the Central KPU but the Head of the Central KPU has not yet received information from the secretary general. And the Secretariat General has not transferred to the regions because these regions have not submitted details of their needs," Mahfud said in a written statement, Friday, June 26 .
Meanwhile, regions that have reported the detailed needs for the 2020 Pilkada, continued Mahfud, have received the budget they need.
"The East Java KPU, for example, has disbursed its budget since Monday, five days ago," he said.
He then asked the regional KPU to immediately submit details of the needs for simultaneous regional elections officially so as not to violate the law.
With the disbursement of these funds, Mahfud said, there was no longer any reason to postpone the 2020 Pilkada stage. "Because the funds from the Minister of Finance have been disbursed according to the stage of his request," explained the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK).
Previously, Chairman of the General Election Commission (KPU) Arief Budiman admitted he was nervous because the additional budget for the 2020 Pilkada for the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) had not been disbursed until now. In fact, currently the 2020 Pilkada stage has entered into factual verification of individual support.
Because, in implementing factual verification in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Arief, voting officers (PPS) need PPE such as masks, faceshields, and gloves.
"The factual verification of individual support costs money because it has to complement the PPS with PPE, at least in the rules we call masks, faceshields, gloves. But until now the money has not been disbursed," said Arief in a discussion broadcast on YouTube, Wednesday, June 24.
Thus, the KPU is currently pushing for the PPE grant scheme from the Task Force in the regions that hold regional elections.
"We encourage regional governments that have become the Task Force to donate personal protective equipment. Just need more information, do all regions have sufficient PPE for PPS needs?" he said.
Even though the PPE needs for this PPS are not too much, if not fulfilled it will cause new problems.
"If it's not there, it's a hassle too. This is what (makes, ed) a bit worried because it can't be disbursed," he said.
Arief assessed that the factual verification stage could not be pushed back. Because, if it is postponed because it is waiting for the additional budget for the 2020 Pilkada to be disbursed, the other stages will be disrupted. "This is what we are a little worried about," he concluded.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
