Councillors will get brand new sedans
JAKARTA (JP): All members of the City Council will soon drive a new car as the city administration finally gave the green light on Wednesday for the request to buy the vehicles.
The administration will purchase 55 Hyundai Accent GLS sedans for councillors who have not yet got an official car, Assistant to the City Secretary for Administration Affairs Makmun Amin said.
Currently 30 of the total of 83 councillors, already have official cars. The first councillors to receive the cars were the city council speaker, chairman of the 11 council's factions and senior members of the five council commissions.
Makmun said that the purchase of official cars for councillors was simply the realization of an agreement, which had long been approved by the city administration and the City Council.
The agreement could not be realized immediately due to widespread public disapproval on the project, he said.
A source at the City Council who requested anonymity said Council Speaker Edy Waluyo had sent a letter to the governor on Dec. 29, 2000, asking him to realize the plan on purchasing the official cars immediately.
The letter said that the purchase of official cars for councillors was based on City Bylaw No.4/2000 on the amendment of the 2000 city budget.
According to article 12 of the Government Regulation No. 110 on the City Council financial status, official cars are provided only for the speaker and deputies of the City Council, instead of all members of the council.
Asked about the two conflicting regulations, Makmun said that the City Bylaw was issued earlier than the Government Regulation.
"The City Bylaw was approved in October 2000, while the Government Regulation was issued on November 2000.
"Nevertheless, it (the purchase of official cars) has been approved," said Makmun.
Contacted separately, Muhayat, spokesman for the City Administration, confirmed that the fund to purchase the cars has been allocated from the development expenditure in the City Budget 2000.
The total fund to purchase the new cars for 55 councillors was Rp 5.83 billion (US$613,680), he said.
"The cars belong to the council, so it meant that the cars should be returned by the end of the council's five-year term," he told The Jakarta Post by phone.
Meanwhile there were rumors that the city administration decided to buy new cars for councillors as a bribe so that they would approve the governor's annual accountability speech, scheduled to be presented next March.
"That's not true!" said Djafar Badjeber, the City Council's deputy speaker, denying the rumors.
He said the plan to purchase the new cars had been made long ago during the fiscal year 2000.
Another city councillor, Syamsidar Siregar of the National Mandate Party faction, said cars would be provided for the councillors to support them in running their duties to serve the public.
She said councillors now have a moral responsibility to improve their standards of duty as well as their function to control the governor's conduct.
"There is now no excuse for you to be late in attending council meetings," she pointed out as an example of the consequences of having a new car.
Data obtained from www.oto.co.id stipulates that each Hyundai Accent car has a street value of between Rp 105 million and Rp 115 million. (04/07)