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