Councillors forced to drop demand for life insurance<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Fearful of public criticism, the city council
\ndropped on Friday its demand for the city administration to
\nprovide its 85 members with life insurance worth Rp 4.25 billion
\n(US$472,222).<\/p>\n
The council's budgetary team secretary, Dani Anwar, said, \"We
\nwant to avoid more public criticism, so we are dropping the
\ninsurance demand.\"<\/p>\n
Dani admitted that many councillors demanded life insurance
\nfollowing the death of three councillors, including Edy Suchro
\nfrom the National Mandate Party, due to a heart attack last
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
He said that currently some councillors were sick, including
\ncouncillor Saud Rahman, who suffered a stroke last year and until
\nnow cannot attend council activities.<\/p>\n
\"Many councillors have questioned what would they leave their
\nfamilies if they died suddenly. We have done much for the city,\"
\nDani, of the Justice Party, said.<\/p>\n
During a meeting early this week with city officials held at
\nHorison Hotel Ancol, North Jakarta, he said that the council
\nsuggested that the budget should allocate at least Rp 50 million
\nfor life insurance for each councillor.<\/p>\n
He noted that not all 85 councillors have the financial
\nability to buy life insurance although some of them may have
\njoined life insurance plans.<\/p>\n
\"Not all councillors have the money to buy life insurance.
\nThey are not like the council's deputy chairman Djafar Badjeber,\"
\nDani said.<\/p>\n
Another councillor, Amarullah Asbah, from the Golkar Party,
\nwho earlier supported the life insurance plan for the
\ncouncillors, refused to comment on Friday.<\/p>\n
Several other councillors seemed also reluctant to comment on
\nthe matter.<\/p>\n
Amarullah, who is chairman of the council's Commission C for
\nfinancial and budgetary affairs, urged the public on Thursday not
\nto question the amount of money that would be used for the
\ninsurance as it is far smaller than what had been budgeted this
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Djafar, who is also chairman of the city chapter of the United
\nDevelopment Party, said the Rp 4.25 billion for life insurance
\nwould come from an additional special allowance of Rp 6 billion,
\nwhich has been demanded by the council in a revised budget.<\/p>\n
Dani said on Friday that although the life insurance demand
\nhas been dropped, the Rp 6 billion special allowance was still to
\nbe allocated in the revised budget.<\/p>\n
\"It is for allowances for councillors in processing and
\npassing city bylaws,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The 2001 city budget has allocated Rp 48 billion for
\ncouncillors as a \"special allowance\" to process at least 15
\nbylaws this year.<\/p>\n
Earlier, they proposed an additional special allowance of Rp
\n11.7 billion in the revised budget. Due to mounting public
\ncriticism, they lowered the allowance to Rp 6 billion. (jun)<\/p>",
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