I use my own money, Sutiyoso says

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso denied on Wednesday allegations he used the city budget to finance the maintenance of his cars, upkeep of his pets and the foreign schooling of one of his children.

"It's wrong if somebody says that I've used the people's money for my personal needs. I use my own money," Sutiyoso calmly told The Jakarta Post at City Hall.

He acknowledged there might have been some truth to the allegation at the start of his tenure.

"There were mistakes here and there in the beginning, when I was first elected governor... but I kept on correcting those mistakes and I continue to do so," he said.

One of his measures, he added, was to purchase less expensive clothes.

The governor told Jakartans to ignore the allegations because "it never happened."

"I know about the crisis. I can buy clothes and other things with my own money... I will never use money from the budget."

A senior city official on Monday accused Sutiyoso of dipping into "a great deal" of the city budget for his personal use.

The official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that he and other senior officials would soon send a warning letter to Sutiyoso outlining the scope of his gubernatorial rights and responsibilities.

The source also alleged that funds illegally taken from the city budget were used to pay the maintenance costs of Sutiyoso's luxury cars.

Sutiyoso said on Wednesday he kept five official and private vehicles -- a Cherokee, Land Cruiser jeeps, Kijang van, Crown and Timor sedans.

"That's it. What's mine, I pay for it (the maintenance) entirely... so don't worry about it," he said with a smile. (ylt)