50 councillors take family holiday in Australia
50 councillors take family holiday in Australia
Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau
At least 50 wives of councillors in Riau province left for
Australia on Wednesday for a one-week trip before their husbands
end their five-year terms of office in April.
MT Sihombing, a senior member of the Riau legislative council,
confirmed their departure via Jakarta and said councillors and
their children accompanied their wives on the trip.
The holiday was planned as a social farewell for the wives
whose husbands may not be reelected as councillors in this year's
general elections.
He denied widespread rumors the vacation was funded by the
province's budget.
However, many councillors were reluctant to give details about
the vacation in Australia.
Nurbay Juss, who chairs the council's budget committee denied
the trip used money from Riau's provincial budget.
"I have heard about the departure of council members' wives to
Australia. But so far we have not allocated funds for that
purpose," he said, adding that his wife did not join the overseas
trip.
It was likely visit was funded from the council's household
affairs committee (PURT), he said. "But I don't know about the
amount. Please ask Pak MT Sihombing," he told The Jakarta Post.
However, Sihombing, who is a deputy chairman of the committee,
denied the holiday trip used money from the PURT.
"It's not true. The funds for the trip to Australia come from
the personal expenses of council members," he said.
He said the plan to go to Australia for a vacation was agreed
by the wives of councillors during a meeting three days ago.
He said the wives of councillors were charged Rp 30 million
(US$3,614) each to join the Australian trip. "If their husbands
take part in the visit, they have to pay more," he said without
giving details.
The visit has drawn criticism in Riau, with the families of
the councillors accused of wasting money.
Sihombing dismissed the charges.
"Let people say what they want. But it's clear that we have no
intention to waste money because the funds for the trip are not
taken from the budget," he said.
He asked the media not to blow the visit out of proportion.