Businessmen lobby legislators in Puncak
Businessmen lobby legislators in Puncak
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Puncak/West Java
A group of local businessmen took advantage of a two-day
conference -- meant to discuss the City Budget -- which included
85 city councillors and 500 city officials here to lobby the
authorities for "help" with their respective projects.
Businessmen from various companies quietly arrived at the
city-owned mountain resort of Puncak, near Bogor, West Java, on
the meeting's first day on Wednesday.
Some of them met the officials and councillors during lunch
at local restaurants in Puncak near the Wisma Jaya Raya, where
the Rp 1.5 billion (US$144,000) conference was held, to
informally discuss business matters.
Councillors from Commission D on development affairs,
officials from the City Public Works Agency and several
businessmen were spotted having lunch.
One of the businessmen was Didit Haryadi, a former member of
the House of Representatives and chairman of the Indonesian
National Youth Committee (KNPI).
"I'm just a construction worker now," he jokingly said in
front of the restaurant.
Other businessmen preferred to approach the councillors at the
Wisma Jaya Raya.
An executive of a private developer, who requested anonymity,
said he planned to expand his luxurious apartment complex in the
Kemayoran area of Central Jakarta.
"I just want to meet old friends and the councillors," the
executive, a former executive of the Golkar Party, told The
Jakarta Post outside the meeting room.
However, councillor Mukhayar RM of the Justice Party claimed
no businessmen had approached him about any projects.
"But I don't know about other councillors," said the
commission D member.
Several councillors also denied having made appointments with
the businessmen.
The meeting ended Thursday evening without producing any
significant results and, as predicted by many observers, would be
continued at the council building in Central Jakarta on Friday.
An official from the City Transportation Agency, who declined
to be named, was disappointed with the rescheduling, saying the
meeting should have been more focused on reaching an agreement.
The official added that "the meeting was ineffective and a
waste of money," and if it were simply at the council building it
would be much easier and quicker for the agencies to provide data
as their offices are located near the building.
Many officials and councillors did not spend the night in
their rooms despite being provided with an accommodation
allowance worth between Rp 100,000 and Rp 200,000 per day.
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Puncak/West Java
A group of local businessmen took advantage of a two-day
conference -- meant to discuss the City Budget -- which included
85 city councillors and 500 city officials here to lobby the
authorities for "help" with their respective projects.
Businessmen from various companies quietly arrived at the
city-owned mountain resort of Puncak, near Bogor, West Java, on
the meeting's first day on Wednesday.
Some of them met the officials and councillors during lunch
at local restaurants in Puncak near the Wisma Jaya Raya, where
the Rp 1.5 billion (US$144,000) conference was held, to
informally discuss business matters.
Councillors from Commission D on development affairs,
officials from the City Public Works Agency and several
businessmen were spotted having lunch.
One of the businessmen was Didit Haryadi, a former member of
the House of Representatives and chairman of the Indonesian
National Youth Committee (KNPI).
"I'm just a construction worker now," he jokingly said in
front of the restaurant.
Other businessmen preferred to approach the councillors at the
Wisma Jaya Raya.
An executive of a private developer, who requested anonymity,
said he planned to expand his luxurious apartment complex in the
Kemayoran area of Central Jakarta.
"I just want to meet old friends and the councillors," the
executive, a former executive of the Golkar Party, told The
Jakarta Post outside the meeting room.
However, councillor Mukhayar RM of the Justice Party claimed
no businessmen had approached him about any projects.
"But I don't know about other councillors," said the
commission D member.
Several councillors also denied having made appointments with
the businessmen.
The meeting ended Thursday evening without producing any
significant results and, as predicted by many observers, would be
continued at the council building in Central Jakarta on Friday.
An official from the City Transportation Agency, who declined
to be named, was disappointed with the rescheduling, saying the
meeting should have been more focused on reaching an agreement.
The official added that "the meeting was ineffective and a
waste of money," and if it were simply at the council building it
would be much easier and quicker for the agencies to provide data
as their offices are located near the building.
Many officials and councillors did not spend the night in
their rooms despite being provided with an accommodation
allowance worth between Rp 100,000 and Rp 200,000 per day.