Council speaker blocks vote, clears way to buy cheap car

Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang

The Central Java legislative council endorsed on Tuesday a plan to sell hundreds of official cars and motorcycles cheaply to councillors and officials, despite a huge public outcry.

The plan was approved by council speaker Ircham Abdurrohim -- who stands to benefit from the ruling -- who rejected calls from some councillors to vote on the issue during a plenary session.

Under the plan, the provincial government will sell at least 272 official cars and 184 motorcycles at knockdown prices.

Buyers will most likely be councillors and officials, as well as retired civil servants who are still using the official vehicles and having them maintained at the expense of local taxpayers.

"If not auctioned, the cars will pose a burden on the local government's budget. After auction, all maintenance costs for the vehicles will be covered by their respective owners," Ircham argued.

But he could not say why the cars would not be sold at normal market prices.

For example, a 1997 Toyota Crown sedan, now being used by the council speaker, will be offered for only Rp 25 million (US$2,941), while it is still estimated to be worth more than Rp 100 million.

Two 1977 Kijang LS and 1996 Kijang LGX minivans, which would sell for around Rp 75 million each, are being offered for only Rp 16 million respectively.

A Peugeot sedan will be sold for only Rp 24 million, though it could be sold for Rp 60 million at a car dealership, and a 1997 Suzuki Escudo is offered for Rp 20 million though it is worth more than Rp 90 million.

The prices have drawn criticism and protests from students and other activists since early this month. To appease the critics, the local administration slightly raised the prices of those cars.

With the increased prices, the administration is projected to collect around Rp 3.7 billion from the sales of the 456 vehicles, an increase from its earlier target of Rp 2.4 billion.

During Tuesday's plenary session, councillors Zubair Syafawi and Noor Achmad proposed the decision to approve the planned sale be voted on. But Ircham rejected the motion by swiftly striking a hammer to close the meeting.

The decision sparked immediate jeering at Ircham from students and journalists who attended the session.

"I have tried to voice the aspirations of the people. But it has not been responded to," Zuber told reporters after the meeting.

"I apologize to the public for failing to accommodate their aspirations .... If the council leaders were wise, they should have allowed a vote. This is what I disagree with. In a plenary session, all have an equal right."

Zuber asked the local administration to delay the auction until December.

Similarly, Noor Achmad said the council leaders should not have closed the meeting as many councillors opposed the decision.

"They should have raised the issue of prices. If there was no agreement the decision must be postponed. By striking the hammer, it implied all council members had agreed, while in fact there were still differences. A vote should have been used to take such a decision."

On Oct. 15, dozens of students staged a protest at the council over the prices of the vehicles. They carried buffalo excrement and frogs during the rally.