Councillors get Rp 4.2b for life insurance

Councillors get Rp 4.2b for life insurance

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After waiting months for a decision, the city's 85 councillors can now feel more relaxed and secure after confirmation that the 2002 budget would allocate Rp 4.2 billion (US$420,000) for their life insurance coverage.

The Rp 4.2 billion allocation for life insurance was part of the Rp 6 billion health allowance for councillors included in the 2002 city budget. Last year's budget granted councillors a health allowance of just Rp 1.8 billion.

Chairwoman of the council's commission C for budgetary affairs Anna Rudhiantina confirmed last Friday that Rp 4.2 billion of the Rp 6 billion allowance fund would go toward councillors' insurance.

"This allocation does not violate government regulations as the administration can afford it," Anna, of the Golkar Party, told reporters.

Last October, the council tried to have the insurance fund included in the 2001 revised budget but later withdrew the proposal in the face of strong public criticism.

Nonetheless, the councillors remained determined to secure the insurance.

They rejected the public criticism, saying they needed protection due to the high risks involved in their work, such as the possibility of sinking at sea when conducting official travel in the Thousand Islands area.

The councillors also said that they envied the four gorillas scheduled to arrive at the Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta from England this month, because the primates were receiving funding of Rp 3.2 billion from the city budget.

Chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) Azas Tigor Nainggolan deplored the councillors' demands for life insurance, saying that they should pay for it out of their own pockets.

"The demand just adds to the list of benefits enjoyed by the councillors and funded by public money, despite the fact they haven't been performing well," Azas said.

Besides the insurance, the 2002 city budget would also allocate Rp 11 billion for the councillors' travel allowance, Rp 1.05 billion for a wardrobe allowance and Rp 150 million for their families and food allowances.

Last year, councillors made overseas trips to a number of countries, including the U.S. and China, to conduct what they described as comparative studies. But it was later proven that the trips had been for pleasure only as most of their programs consisted of visits to tourist sites.

Councillors will also receive Rp 1.47 billion as "representative money" and Rp 369 million for "package money".

The budget will allocate Rp 80 billion for administration and for councillors' public activities, such as donations to fire and flood victims.