Councillors pocket allowances for empty homes<\/p>\n
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang<\/p>\n
Up to 39 of the 45 members of the Tangerang Municipal Council
\nappear to be accepting a Rp 1 million (US$118) monthly
\nmaintenance allowance for their official residences despite the
\nfact that the houses are not being occupied.<\/p>\n
A visit by The Jakarta Post to the council's housing complex
\nin Gebang Raya subdistrict, Periuk district, on Saturday found
\nthat only six councillors were living in their official
\nresidences with their families.<\/p>\n
The other five houses have been rented out by the councillors
\nwhile the rest are unoccupied and in poor condition. Many of the
\nempty houses are without doors or have broken windows. Scrub has
\ncompletely taken over their front gardens.<\/p>\n
The Tangerang municipal administration allocates some Rp 540
\nmillion per year on maintenance allowances for the councillors'
\nofficial residences out of its annual budget. It appears the
\nsystem has been widely abused, with the majority of councillors
\npreferring to live in their own houses.<\/p>\n
Former Tangerang mayor M. Thamrin, who was replaced by
\nincumbent mayor Wahidin Halim last October, had said in his
\nannual accountability statements during his term that the
\ncouncillors' maintenance allowances had all been taken up and
\nused for the purposes for which they were intended.<\/p>\n
The head of the municipal secretariat's general affairs
\ndepartment, Abdurahman, and the head of the Tangerang
\nResettlement and Housing Agency, Ayi Sugandi, claimed they knew
\nnothing about the abuses that were occurring and denied they were
\nresponsible for paying out the allowances.<\/p>\n
\"We don't handle the distribution of the maintenance
\nallowances anymore. This is now directly managed by the council
\nsecretary,\" Ayi said.<\/p>\n
Council Secretary Daryanto confirmed that each councillor
\npersonally claimed the Rp 1 million monthly maintenance
\nallowance.<\/p>\n
However, he refused to say why the councillors were being paid
\nthe allowance if they were not living in their official
\nresidences.<\/p>\n
\"Please ask the councillors about the money. I've no comment
\nto make on that,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The council speaker, Gian Sugiharsono, also refused to explain
\nthe misuse of the maintenance allowances when the Post contacted
\nhim in Serang by phone.<\/p>\n
\"I can't answer that. Just ask the other councillors,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/councillors-pocket-allowances-for-empty-homes-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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