Council factions express concern over corruption
JAKARTA (JP): Ten of the 11 factions in the City Council, during their overviews of Governor Sutiyoso's accountability speech, expressed concern with the governor's failure to curb corruption, but only one faction brought up the PT Jaya Ancol scandal.
During a plenary session for factions to express their general views of the accountability speech, Justice Party spokesman Abdul Azis Matnur said his faction believed Sutiyoso was fully aware of the improper disbursement of funds from city-owned developer PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol to finance an overseas visit by administration employees and city councillors.
Azis also asked why, after the city secretary had disbursed money from the city budget to finance the visit, additional funds had been disbursed by PT Jaya Ancol.
"Is there no coordination between the two?" Azis said reading the faction's overview of Sutiyoso's accountability speech.
Eleven city administration officials and 16 councillors were part of a group of 45 people who took part in a controversial visit to Japan, South Africa and Australia in October.
The officials and councillors reportedly received Rp 52 million (US$5,200) from the city budget, despite already having received between $5,000 and $10,000 from PT Jaya Ancol.
Three councillors -- two from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and one from the United Development Party (PPP) -- reportedly received the travel allowances despite not taking part in the seven-day trip. The three later claimed they had returned the money.
The Jakarta Prosecutor's Office has questioned several councillors and administration officials, including Sutiyoso, about the matter.
Sutiyoso has claimed he knew nothing of the disbursement of the funds from PT Jaya Ancol, despite being the commissioner of the company.
The case took an intriguing turn when Sutiyoso chose to discipline only nine of the 11 administration officials who took part in the visit. The two senior officials who were not disciplined were City Development Agency chief Bambang Sungkono and City Planning Agency head Ahmaddin Ahmad.
Soon after Sutiyoso's decision, City Inspector Hendarin Ono Saleh announced he was taking early retirement. Sources have said Hendarin resigned in disgust over the preferential treatment given Bambang and Ahmaddin.
The Justice and Unity Party (PKP) faction, without directly referring to the PT Jaya Ancol scandal, expressed doubt about Sutiyoso's commitment to fighting corruption.
"It seems the governor acted unfairly by just punishing the lower-level officials," the faction's chairman, Posman Siahaan, said while reading his faction's overview of the accountability speech.
PDI Perjuangan, which holds 30 of the 85 seats in the council, did not touch at all on the PT Jaya Ancol case in its overview, despite earlier pledges by faction members to raise the issue.
PDI Perjuangan faction spokesman Mohamad Nakum AR, who read the faction's statement, only urged the governor to explain in detail corruption cases that have been settled and the amount of losses incurred by the city.
The PPP faction, The Indonesian Military/National Police faction, the Golkar Party faction and the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction also expressed concern with corruption, but made no mention of the PT Jaya Ancol matter.
The National Mandate Party (PAN) faction did not discuss corruption in its general overview, focusing instead on the 2000 city budget. (jun)