Executive, legislature race to use up budget money<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso HN, The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung<\/p>\n
The Lampung provincial administration is seeking approval from
\nthe Legislative Council to secure Rp 6,091 billion from a
\nsupplementary budget to procure 22 official cars, including seven
\nfor provincial councillors.<\/p>\n
In turn, the Provincial Legislative Council is seeking to
\nobtain Rp 2 billion from the council's routine budget for the
\nprocurement of 16 official cars for councillors.<\/p>\n
The move by both the Lampung provincial administration and the
\nLegislative Council was revealed by Ahmad Yulden Erwin, the
\ncoordinator for the Anti-Corruption Committee, a corruption
\nwatchdog in Lampung.<\/p>\n
\"They (government officials and councillors) are likely racing
\nto spend the provincial budget. It is hard to understand why, in
\nthis economic crisis, they want to trade in their current cars,
\nwhich are still in good condition, for new ones,\" Erwin said.<\/p>\n
He said that the executive and legislative bodies had
\nconspired to take the province's supplementary budget.<\/p>\n
For the current fiscal year, the Lampung provincial
\nadministration has allocated an extra budget of Rp 100 billion,
\nwhich was collected from the excess of the 2001 provincial budget
\nworth Rp 72,436 billion, the increase in revenue split from oil
\nand gas worth Rp 19 billion, and the remaining Rp 10 billion from
\nprovincial revenue.<\/p>\n
Head of the Financial Bureau of the Lampung provincial
\nadministration, Mahyudin, said, however, that the proposal to
\npurchase the 22 official cars was debatable.<\/p>\n
\"If endorsed by the Provincial Legislative Council, we'll
\nproceed with the procurement. Otherwise, we'll withdraw the
\nproposal.\"<\/p>\n
Besides the purchase of cars, Erwin also said that the
\nlegislative council was seeking approval to buy 25 houses for the
\ncouncillors.<\/p>\n
The deputy speaker of the Lampung provincial legislative
\ncouncil, Mochtar Hasan, cited that one-third of the 75 council
\nmembers would receive official housing this year.<\/p>\n
The move by the councillors received strong criticism from
\nlocal political observers Ari Damastuti and Muzakir Noor.<\/p>\n
\"The councillors lack the qualities to protect the public's
\ninterests. They have even asked to have their income tax covered
\nby the provincial budget and have their transportation allowance
\nincreased due to the hike in fuel prices,\" Ari said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Muzakir accused the Lampung governor of having
\nspoiled the councillors in return for their endorsement of the
\ngovernor's recent annual accountability speech.<\/p>\n
\"Governor Oemarsono's move to distribute Rp 15 million to each
\ncouncillor was likely connected with the endorsement of the
\ngovernor's accountability speech last April,\" Muzakir said.<\/p>\n
Oemarsono, however, dismissed the bribery allegation.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, an activist with the Lampung Legislature Watch,
\nArmen Yasir said the governor's move was a crime.<\/p>\n
\"It's an act of stealing the people's money,\" Yasir, a
\nconstitutional law professor at the state Lampung University,
\nsaid.<\/p>",
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