REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The General Elections Commission (KPU) has saved at least Rp23.9 billion in state money on presidential elections logistics, noted its Deputy Secretary General Arif Rahman Hakim.
Arif stated here on Monday that the budget was streamlined for the procurement of logistics for the two presidential and vice presidential pairs amounting to Rp70.7 billion.
He said that the value of the contract for the procurement of logistics was concluded only at Rp46.7 billion.
"After the two pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates were officially announced, we drew up a budget for logistics expenditure. With the contract concluded at Rp46.7 billion, we were able to save Rp23.9 billion from the allocated Rp70.7 billion," Arif remarked.
Arif explained that the KPU earlier drafted a budget of Rp268.72 billion. The amount was obtained from calculation based on the cost for the implementation of the 2004 general elections, which were contested by four pairs of candidates.
But, after the official announcement of the candidates, which were only two pairs, the KPU drafted the budget for logistics at Rp70.752 billion.
A tender of that was later called to carry out the logistics procurement and was won by 12 companies with a total amount of Rp46.787 billion, Arif added.
Indonesia will hold a free and democratic presidential election on July 9, 2014, which will be contested by only two pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates: Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Jusuf Kalla.
Prabowo Subianto is a retired military general and the chairman of Gerindra (Great Indonesia Movement) Party, while his running mate, Hatta Rajasa, is a former coordinating minister for economic affairs and the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN).
Jokowi is Jakarta's Governor and a cadre of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), and his running mate, Jusuf Kalla (JK), is a former vice president and a senior politician of the Golkar Party.
The Jokowi-JK pair is supported by five political parties: the Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP), the Nation Awakening Party (PKB), the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), the Justice and Indonesian Unity Party (PKPI), and the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) established by Surya Paloh, the owner of Metro TV and the Media Indonesia newspaper.
The Prabowo-Hatta pair is supported by Gerindra, PAN, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP), the Moon and Star Party (PBB), and the Golkar Party, whose current chairman is Aburizal Bakrie, the owner of TV One.
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