Councillors ask Rp 12b for in-town trips

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The City Council has proposed a Rp 12.91 billion (US$1.39 million) allocation for its 75 councillors' intra-city travel needs next year.

Council Secretary Salehuddin Effendi told the press on Wednesday that the fund would be drawn from the operational support budget.

"The councillors need the fund to visit city agencies and areas throughout the capital over the next year," he said.

Salehuddin did not provide details on the councillors' 2005 travel plans, and denied suggestions that the fund would be used to buy cars for the councillors.

The councillors have requested that the administration provide them each with a Toyota Kijang Innova -- about Rp 200 million per vehicle -- as their "official" cars, which would be theirs to keep at the end of their tenures.

If their request was approved, the budget would have had to allocate an additional Rp 14.2 billion for the cars.

However, Governor Sutiyoso questioned the request, as Government Regulation No. 24/2004 on protocol and financial status of provincial council leaders and members does not include an article on the provision of official cars.

The draft 2005 city budget has allocated about Rp 46.4 billion toward facilities for councillors, excluding their monthly salaries of about Rp 6 million each.

Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan has questioned the intra-city travel fund, as the council has its own bus fleet.

"The council spends next to nothing on such visits, because their needs are usually financed by the agencies that invited them," Tigor said.

The draft budget already includes a collective living allowance of Rp 16.87 billion for the 75 councillors.

Other "perks" include a Rp 5.04 billion bonus fund for their deliberation of draft bylaws and a Rp 3.89 billion "committee allowance" for councillors who set up and/or work on a committee or special task force.

Separately, Rp 1.15 billion has been allocated for honorariums to be distributed to former councillors.

Council Deputy Speaker Ahmad Heryawan said some of the allowances and bonuses for councillors could be dropped during deliberations of the draft budget if they were found to be unnecessary.

Ahmad underlined that any unused portion of the budget would be returned to city coffers.