Governor may freeze extra budget

PALANGKARAYA, Central Kalimantan: Central Kalimantan Governor Asmawi Agani threatened to freeze the province's additional budget allocation worth Rp 20 billion if it would create opportunities for corruption among local officials.

"The government will freeze the additional budget because all projects financed by the additional budget are prone to corruption as they are not being put out to open tender," he said at a hearing with the provincial legislative council here on Saturday.

He said that despite the fact that there were only two months remaining in the 2001 fiscal year, all projects must be offered through a public tender and local officials, both in the executive and the legislature, would be prohibited from participating in the bidding.

"I will take firm measures against local officials who are found to be involved in government projects," he said. --Antara