Soewardi under fire over Timor car orders<\/p>\n
SEMARANG (JP): Central Java Governor Soewardi's plan to buy
\n105 Timor cars for senior officials and regents came under fire
\nyesterday from provincial councilors and the public.<\/p>\n
The critics said the governor should have got provincial
\nlegislative council approval before deciding to spend taxpayers'
\nmoney on the cars.<\/p>\n
Councilors said the purchase of the "national cars" had not
\nbeen included in the current 1997\/1998 budget.<\/p>\n
Golkar councilor Soetomo urged the governor to have the budget
\nrevised to include the purchase.<\/p>\n
He said the governor should not buy any more of the cars than
\nwas necessary. "If only 10 cars are needed, don't buy more than
\nthat," he said.<\/p>\n
Soewardi announced Thursday that he had ordered 105 Timor cars
\nfrom a local dealer, PT Mobil Nasional Jateng. He said the
\npurchase was meant to encourage the public to love locally made
\nproducts.<\/p>\n
Timor has been the official sedan for senior government
\nbureaucrats and state company executives since April.<\/p>\n
The national car program, launched in February 1996, grants
\ntariff and luxury sales-tax exemptions for national cars on
\ncondition that their local content rises to 60 percent in three
\nyears.<\/p>\n
However, only a joint venture of PT Timor Putra Nasional,
\nheaded by Hutomo Mandala Putra, President Soeharto's youngest
\nson, and South Korea's Kia Motors is allowed to make national
\ncars. It can do so until 1999.<\/p>\n
The policy has been criticized by Japan, U.S. and European
\ncountries. Japan has threatened to take the case to the World
\nTrade Organization.<\/p>\n
United Development Party councilor Djuhad Mahya insisted that,
\nalthough governor Soewardi had ordered the cars, he should seek
\nan amendment to the budget.<\/p>\n
"The plan should be based on actual needs and I don't think
\nthe cars have to be Timor," he said.<\/p>\n
A political observer from Semarang's Diponegoro University,
\nNugroho S.B.M., said yesterday the governor should seek
\nlegislative council approval for the purchase.<\/p>\n
Nugroho asked why the governor had not tendered the purchase
\naccording to regulations.<\/p>\n
"Bidding is necessary to ensure fair play," he said. "In a
\ncase where there is no a tender, a project should have
\nlegislative council approval." (har\/pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soewardi-under-fire-over-timor-car-orders-1447893297",
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