DPR Requests Office Infrastructure To PPE For KPU Officers To Use Ministry Money

Illustration of citizens making their political choices at the ballot box in the general election. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission II DPRR RI Muhammad Rifqinizamy Karsayuda reminded that the 2024 election budget can be suppressed by the General Elections Commission (KPU) as efficiently as possible.

Remember, the KPU previously proposed a budget of Rp. 86.26 trillion for the 2024 Election.

However, because it received input so that the election budget would be rationalized so that it would not be too large, including from the DPR, the KPU finally revised the proposed budget of Rp. 76.6 trillion.

According to Rifqi, there are several items in the electoral budget that can be streamlined, namely non-electoral budgets such as the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) for election officers to infrastructure such as the construction of regional KPU offices.

"Indeed, there are several non-electoral budgets, such as the preparation of vehicles, office infrastructure, which are actually in the KPU budget of Rp. 76.6 trillion. This includes anticipation if, for example, COVID-19 is still ongoing," Rifqi said in his statement, Sunday, June 12.

The solution, Rifqi asked the KPU to coordinate with the central government so that the non-electoral budget could be allocated from funds from a number of related ministries, such as the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) and the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR).

"We are asking the KPU to coordinate with other institutional ministries so that it can be handled by other institutional ministries, for example, the procurement of PPE for COVID can be left to the Ministry of Health, while the infrastructure will be carried out by the PUPR Ministry," said Rifqi.

"So, the management of the budget is not fully managed by the KPU. It can cut the budget that has been determined and it is estimated that more than Rp. 20 trillion will be cut," said the PDI-P politician.

Previously, the leadership of the DPR RI and the KPU commissioners held a meeting on Monday, June 6.

The DPR gave a number of messages regarding the implementation of the 2024 General Election to the KPU through hearings conducted by the leaders of the two institutions.

During the meeting, the Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, who led the hearing, highlighted a number of things, including the confirmation that the 2024 election would proceed as scheduled.

Puan also requested that the 2024 election budget be carried out effectively and efficiently.

"The 2024 election budget must be carried out effectively and efficiently and maximized according to needs since the start of the election stage which will begin according to the existing schedule, namely June 14, 2022," said Puan.