North Sumatra officials take 'vacation' in India: Councillor<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
A team of about 50 provincial officials from North Sumatra left
\nfor a seven-day trip to India on Friday to attend an
\ninternational expo which will cost taxpayers over Rp 1 billion
\n(US$120,000).<\/p>\n
North Sumatra Governor Rizal Nurdin said over the weekend that
\nthe team went to India with the mission to open up business links
\nwith various sectors in that country.<\/p>\n
The governor said that the trip was necessary as Indonesia and
\nIndia shared many similarities, as both were developing countries
\nwith enormous populations.<\/p>\n
\"That's why we're sending a so many people ... to open up
\nbusiness opportunities in various sectors,\" Rizal Nurdin said.<\/p>\n
He denied suggestions that the officials were going to India
\nfor a free holiday using public money. All expenses were covered
\nby the North Sumatra government, drawn from the governor's
\ncontingency fund.<\/p>\n
Led by Deputy Governor Lundu Panjaitan, the team comprised
\nregents, mayors, businesspeople, legislature members and academic
\nrepresentatives.<\/p>\n
The officials said they planned to offer local products that
\nwere in high demand in India, such as crude palm oil, coffee and
\nareca nuts.<\/p>\n
The trip was originally scheduled for last week, but Nurdin
\ndelayed it as the governor considered it slightly poor timing to
\nbe spending such a huge amount of money while the rest of the
\ncountry was angrily protesting against increases in electricity
\nand telephone charges and fuel prices.<\/p>\n
But the governor decided to send the team anyway, even though
\nprotests against the price hikes had not abated.<\/p>\n
Hitler Siahaan, spokesperson for Commission III at the local
\nlegislature, criticized the governor's decision to send the team
\nat such a time.<\/p>\n
\"Although the main purpose of the travel is officially said to
\nbe to attend an International Expo in India, it still is just a
\nvacation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Considering the number of team members, Hitler deemed the
\nwhole trip as waste of money. According to him, the provincial
\nadministration should have sent only a couple of officials who
\nwere directly involved in promoting business cooperation.<\/p>\n
\"State funds should not be wasted on a vacation project to
\nIndia, it would be better if the governor's contingency fund was
\nused for people's education and health,\" Hitler said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/north-sumatra-officials-take-vacation-in-india-councillor-1447893297",
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