Activist opposes official houses

Activist opposes official houses

Rusman, The Jakarta Post, Samarinda, East Kalimantan

A local non-governmental organization activist lashed out on
Monday at the East Kalimantan provincial government for
allocating a budget to build houses for council officials that
far exceeds the market price.

The normal price for a luxury house in Samarinda is Rp 350
(US$41,176) to Rp 500 million, but in the 2004 budget, the
government has earmarked Rp 7.6 billion (US$894,117) for the
construction of four houses for the leaders of the provincial
council.

Therefore each house will be built with a working capital of
Rp 1.9 billion.

"This is insane. If the plan materializes, we are afraid that
there will be a mark up in the construction of the houses," said
Achmad Bashori, the executive director of Concern for State
Assets (PKN).

The four houses will be the official residences for the
speaker of the provincial council and the three deputies.

Bashori demanded that the government revise the budget. The
East Kalimantan provincial budget this year stands at Rp 2.77
trillion.

The provincial government has handed over the draft of the
2004 budget to the East Kalimantan provincial council, and the
council is expected to approve it in the near future.

Meanwhile, Kasyful Anwar, the coordinator for the budget
committee at the East Kalimantan Legislative Council,
acknowledged that the government had proposed a budget of Rp 7.6
billion for the construction of the four houses.

"But, it does not mean that the council will approve it. We
are still discussing it," he said.

If the proposal is approved by the provincial council, the
houses will be built by East Kalimantan Public Works office.