Councillors urge rice fund embezzlement inquiry

Councillors urge rice fund embezzlement inquiry

Apriadi Gunawan
The Jakarta Post
Medan, North Sumatra

North Sumatra legislative councillors have urged law enforcers to
investigate the alleged embezzlement of Rp 2.037 billion from the
sale of rice-for-the-poor to the public at traditional markets in
the province.

Erwan Parlinda, chairman of the council's commission on social
affairs, said on Wednesday the North Sumatra Police should form a
team to promptly handle the case and guarantee the smooth
distribution of cheap rice to the poor.

Any delay in unveiling the whereabouts of the money will give
certain regional officials more opportunity to sell the rice in
traditional markets, according to Abdi Nusa Tarigan, another
member of the legislature.

"Rice for poor people, which should be sold for Rp 1,000 per
kilogram by regional logistics agencies (Dolog), is being sold in
traditional markets for Rp 2,800. This must be the act of local
mafias," Abdi Nusa Tarigan told The Jakarta Post.

The deputy chief of the local office of the State Logistics
Agency (Bulog), Rama Tedjakusuma, denied the presence of mafias
and officials selling the rice in traditional markets because any
release from Dolog warehouses had to be based on a delivery order
issued by the relevant regent or mayor.

Rama said the money had not been misused, but regency and city
administrations throughout North Sumatra had been late in paying
for the rice, with three regencies recording the largest arrears
in January 2003 -- namely Deli Serdang Rp 545.882 million,
Langkat Rp 526.358 million and Toba Samosir Rp 360.54 million.

"These provinces payment delays for cheap rice are the biggest
in the country," Tedjakusuma said.

Abdi Nusa Tarigan pointed out that the large arrears just
indicated the extent of embezzlement of the people's money by
officials.

"The regencies and cities should have transferred the money
from the poor as soon as they received it," he remarked.