Lame duck Legislators plan Rp 1b for tour

Lame duck Legislators plan Rp 1b for tour

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung

Nearing the end of their tenures in two months, Lampung
legislative councillors are planning to go on comparative study
tours to various regions in the country, deemed by many as a
vacation or a way to earn extra money before they retire.

Every year, funds allocated for the tours reach up to Rp 1
billion (US$ 105,263) for transportation, accommodation, meals,
spending money an official tour (SPJ) expenses.

Although funds have been allotted from the 2004 provincial
budget, not every councillor agreed that they were needed, as was
cited by a councillor from the Prosperous Justice Party and head
of Commission E, Abdul Hakim.

He said that it was better for them to improve their
performance near the end of their terms, rather than spending
money for the tours. He said that study tours had more
disadvantages than advantages.

"Comparative studies will have no benefit for the people.
Besides that, people will be suspicious as the results will not
produce much that will help the public," he said.

In previous years, many councillors who were listed as
comparative study participants took only the money but never
went. The comparative studies were carried out in stages,
visiting different provinces. Commission A and C had planned to
go to Yogyakarta, Commission D to Riau, while Commission B and E
had not decided on their destination yet.

Head of the Lampung Parliament Watch (LPW) Wahyu Sasongko said
the tours were only a waste of money as there would be no results
from the comparative studies that could be applied.

As evidence, he said that the councillors failed to follow up
on their study tours last year. The councillors visited various
provinces -- Commission A went to Kalimantan, B to Central Java,
C to Medan and Riau, E to West Java and D to Central Java and
Sulawesi. "But upon returning home, there was no follow-up," said
Wahyu.

A source at the council who wished to remain anonymous said
that the SPJ money is seldom used because working partners
traveling with the councillors will pay for all the expenses.
Airplane tickets, accommodation, presents and spending money will
be paid for by heads of agencies or municipalities.

"Isn't it just a cruise holiday? It's just a pretense," said
the source.

Speaker of the Lampung legislature Nurhasanah said that the
study tour would still go on as it had been scheduled earlier.
"Besides that, it hasn't violated any rules. There will always be
a comparative study every year," said Nurhasanah.

He said that even though study tours were carried out
approaching the end of a term, they would still be beneficial as
the results would be forwarded to councillors in the next term.

Head of Commission A Syukri Baihaki said that a study tour
could not be considered the same as a holiday or a cruise. "It's
in the council's agenda. Commission A also has work to do in the
matters of law and governance to complete," said Syukri.

He said that the working visit to Yogyakarta was related to
the implementation of Bylaw No. 8/2001 on streamlining the
organization of provincial administrations. "Yogyakarta has
implemented the bylaw, so we wish to study the mechanisms and
system there," he said.

Based on the bylaw, the number of agencies, offices and
organizations of a provincial administration should be limited so
as to be effective and efficient. "There are too many agencies in
Lampung now. The problem is, none of them are performing well,"
he said.

Another problem, he said, was that the bylaw must be
implemented by the end of this year at the latest, which meant,
Commission A along with the organizational bureau, the law bureau
and the provincial personnel administration agency had the
responsibility to complete the task.