Councillors want Rp 12.5m for housing<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The members of the City Council have submitted a proposal asking
\nfor a housing allowance for each councillor of Rp 12.5 million
\n(US$1,390) per month, more than double their basic salary of
\naround Rp 6 million per month.<\/p>\n
Council speaker Ade Surapriatna said here on Monday that the
\nCity Council had submitted a proposal to Governor Sutiyoso, who
\nis expected to issue a gubernatorial decree soon.<\/p>\n
Ade, a councillor from the Golkar Party, said the amount was
\nset based on rental fees of official houses now occupied by four
\nleaders of the City Council.<\/p>\n
\"If the official houses in Pejaten subdistrict, South Jakarta
\nare rented out, the rental fee is around Rp 15 million per month.
\nTherefore, each councillor deserves to receive Rp 12.5 million of
\nhousing allowance monthly,\" Ade explained to journalists.<\/p>\n
Jakarta has 75 councillors and the city administration
\nprovides four official houses for the speaker and the deputy
\nspeakers.<\/p>\n
The housing allowance is just one of many fringe benefits
\ngiven to regional councillors as stipulated in government
\nregulation No. 24\/2004 on protocol and financial matters of
\nregional council leaders and members.<\/p>\n
Based on the regulation, each councillor is also entitled to
\nhave health insurance, a basic monthly salary and various other
\nincentives for their positions like council leaders, as well as
\nmembers of commissions and special committees.<\/p>\n
Councillors also receive bonuses after they finish
\ndeliberating on a bylaw.<\/p>\n
According to Ade, the monthly salary of each councillor is
\naround Rp 6 million. Each councillor also receives Rp 5 million
\nfor deliberating on one bylaw. \"We can finish two bylaws a month,
\non average,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso will issue a gubernatorial decree to elaborate on the
\nremunerations for the city councillors.<\/p>\n
In total, each Jakarta councillor could likely receive around
\nRp 28 million any given month.<\/p>\n
Previously, deputy speaker Maringan Pangaribuan suggested that
\nthe \"ideal income\" of each councillor should be Rp 50 million per
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
Ade explained that the money was not only for their families,
\nbut also for their respective political parties and constituents.<\/p>\n
\"If each councillor needs Rp 1 million per day for their
\nactivities, Rp 50 million is the ideal monthly income for them,\"
\nsaid Ade, apparently referring to Maringan's suggestion.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the proposal, Governor Sutiyoso said on Monday
\nthat he could not immediately respond to it.<\/p>\n
He, however, stressed that all spending from the city budget
\nmust be based on existing regulations.<\/p>\n
\"There have been many cases (of corruption) in other regions.
\nTherefore, we must not waver from the current laws. Otherwise, we
\nwill be jailed. I don't want to take the risk,\" Sutiyoso said
\nwithout going into detail.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso, however, said that he understood that the income of
\nJakarta councillors should be higher than their counterparts in
\nother regions because of the high cost of living here.<\/p>",
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