To Be A Regent/Mayor Will Cost Rp30-100 Billion, It Can Be An 'Excuse' For Corruption

Deputy Chairman of KPK Alexander Marwata (Photo: Public Relations KPK RI)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said that regional head candidates must prepare a lot of money to run in the general election. Deputy Chairman of the KPK Alexandar Marwata even said that each candidate who will run for the regional head election (pilkada) requires a minimum of Rp30 billion.

"From the Ministry of Home Affairs survey, at least Rp30 billion was issued for candidates for regional heads at the level of regents or mayors," Alexander said in a KPK RI YouTube show quoted on Sunday, October 17.

That number, he continued, could also increase many times. In fact, in a number of regions, there is a charge of up to Rp100 billion.

"If he wants to win, he even has to provide Rp60 billion to Rp75 billion in some areas, there are Rp100 billion," said Alexander.

This reason then makes the capital to become a regional head so expensive and when elected they will be ensnared in the practice of corruption. Moreover, the regional heads will not be able to return these costs, including to their investors.

So, what is certain will happen is to divide the project to investors from the planning process.

"If it comes from sponsors, what will be the reward, yes, the project will be divided from planning in the APBD planning process. Later, it has been planned, who will work on this project," said Alexander.

This is what Alexander said happened in Musi Banyuasin Regency. Where the KPK has just named the Regent of Musi Banyuasin Dodi Reza Alex Noerdin as a suspect in the alleged bribery of infrastructure procurement projects.

"That's what happened in Musi Banyuasin. In other areas, it's almost the same in terms of the procurement process for goods and services. Most of the auction process is just a formality, the average price estimate itself has been marked up, raised. Of course, we hope that The Ministry of PUPR can be a coaching agency," said Alexander.

As previously reported, the KPK named Musi Banyuasin Regent Dodi Reza Alex Noerdin as a suspect after he was caught in a red-handed operation (OTT) on Friday, October 15, and detained him at the KPK Rutan Kavling C1 Branch.

He was named a suspect along with three other people, namely the Head of PUPR, Musi Banyuasin Regency, Herman Mayori, who is currently being held at the KPK Detention Center at Pomdam Jaya Guntur; Head of SDA/PPK Department of PUPR, Musi Banyuasin Regency, Eddi Umari, who was detained at the KPK Rutan, Merah Putih Branch; and Director of PT Selaras Simpati Nusantara Suhandy who was also detained at the KPK Detention Center, Merah Putih Branch.

In this case, Dodi has carried out a presumptuous practice by engineering a number of lists, including making a list of potential partners who will carry out project work. Not only that, Dodi apparently has determined the percentage of the fee for each project value with details of 10 percent for him, 3-5 percent for Herman, and 2-3 percent for Eddi and other related parties.

With the help of the deceitful practices that have been carried out, the company owned by Suhandy, namely PT Selaras Simpati Nusantara, was declared the winner of the four development projects. The project is the rehabilitation of the Ngulak III Irrigation Area (IDPMIP) in Ngulak III Village, Kec. Sanga with a contract value of Rp2.39 billion; an increase in the DIR Epil irrigation network with a contract value of Rp4.3 billion; improvement of irrigation network of DIR Muara Teladan with a contract value of Rp3.3 billion; normalization of Ulak Ria Lake, Sekayu District with a contract value of Rp9.9 billion.

For this fraudulent act, it is suspected that Dodi will receive a commitment fee of Rp2.6 billion from Suhandy. However, when the OTT was carried out, he only received some of the money given through his subordinates, namely Herman and Eddi. In this OTT, the KPK secured Rp270 million and Rp1.5 billion from Dodi's aide in Jakarta.