Government dissolves tourism development body
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government has dissolved the Tourism and Culture Development Body (BP Budpar), was established in February 2002 to implement policies on tourism, and placed the disbanded organization under the Office of the State Minister for Culture and Tourism.
The decision surprised the employees of BP Budpar who were called on Tuesday by the House of Representatives Commission VI on education and tourism to clarify a recent plan by the office of the State Minister for Culture and Tourism to disband the body. The decree was read out by a commission member more than an hour after the hearing was opened.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri issued decree No. 29/2003 on Monday to integrate BP Budpar into the Office of the State Minister for Culture and Tourism in response to the request of the office which saw the body as failing to cooperate with the country's tourism industry.
Industry executives had earlier called BP Budpar arrogant and accused it of violating government regulations on tourism. They also alleged that rampant corruption had plagued the body.
BP Budpar was established to implement policies and programs set up by the office of the State Minister for Culture and Tourism to promote Indonesian tourism abroad. BP Budpar was also supposed to run dozens of museums, galleries, tourism colleges and archeological sites across the country.
Following the decision, chairman of BP Budpar Setyanto P. Santosa told commission members the dissolution of the body was wrong and contrary to proper procedure.
"BP Budpar is still very young, and even if the accusations from the tourism industry can be proven true, we should have been given a chance to rectify our wrongdoings," Setyanto said, adding that BP Budpar would still be useful if it were not folded.
He said that the fate of thousands of employees was at stake.
"According to a decree of the State Minister for Administrative Reforms, the Office of the State Minister for Tourism and Culture can employ no more than 600 personnel. What about the 4,400 employees currently working for BP Budpar?," he said, adding that discontent has been brewing among the employees of Budpar.
Asserting that the new move by the government could disrupt efforts to help the ailing tourism industry which has suffered due to the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and global threats of terrorism, Setyanto said: "There is nothing we can do now, as a presidential decree has been issued. We only hope that the implementation of the decree can wait until 2004."
He said that 2004 was the year when the term for the current cabinet ended.
"If BP Budpar is dissolved now, which agency will continue the ongoing projects that it has undertaken," he asked.