Head of Bengkalis regency in hot seat over lavish residence

Head of Bengkalis regency in hot seat over lavish residence

A lavish official residence for the local regent being built
by the Bengkalis regency administration here is getting its final
touches and will be ready to be occupied by regent Syamsurizal
in the near future.

The European-style residence will cost the regency administration
Rp 25 billion (US$2.94 million).

The house stands on Jl. Antara, where most government offices
are located. The residence is, however, in stark contrast to the
modest houses belonging to local residents in the surrounding
areas.

"That is not an official residence, but rather a royal palace.
It is costing a lot of taxpayers' money," complained Syahrullazi,
a local resident who lives on Jl. Antara, on Thursday.

He said that the construction of the lavish residence had
given rise to much discontent in the regency, and students had
gathered outside the half-built mansion to protest.

But, the protests fell on deaf ears, and the Bengkalis
administration decided to press ahead with its plans to build the
lavish house, Syahrullazi added.

Bengkalis regent Syamsurizal said separately that the house
had been under construction for the last three years. He admitted
that the project had gone over budget

"Initially, we allocated Rp 4 billion, but the cost increased
to Rp 25 billion due to the construction of additional
facilities," he said.

The total cost of the Rp 25 billion project is being funded
out of this years regency budget. The project accounts for 2.5
percent of this year's overall regency budget, which stands at Rp
1.017 trillion (US$120 million).

Among the additional facilities are a swimming pool, a large
meeting room and a lounge for important personages, such as the
president.

Syamsurizal, however, rejected accusations that the
construction of the house was extravagant, saying that a proper
official residence was badly needed.

"Don't look at the amount of money involved, but please look
at the efficiency side of it. We have built an excellent
residence so that we won't need to renovate it in the near
future," he said.

He also added that the construction of the house was timely,
as the regency administration had nowhere to accommodate
important personages.

There was no hotel in the regency of a standard "capable of
accommodating" such personages, he said.

"Therefore, as long as we have the money, we should build a
proper official residence," he said. -- Antara