Lampung activist demands revision of budget proposal
Lampung activist demands revision of budget proposal
Oyos Saroso, Bandarlampung
Activists have demanded that the local provincial council review
the Lampung governor's proposed additional budget spending (ABT),
as it provided opportunities for irregularities.
Furthermore, the ABT, already given the green light by the
Lampung Council's budget committee, shows that the local
government has no sense of crisis, said activists of the Care for
Transparency and Regional Autonomy Network (JMPTOD).
"One item that has to be revised is the purchase of a firearm
at Rp 150 million (US$15,879)," said Aryanto from the network.
He argued that the purchase of a firearm for the governor was
exorbitant and prone to a markup.
"I can't imagine that a gun costs Rp 150 million. It's a waste
of money," he said, while questioning the necessity of the
purchase. "Lampung is relatively peaceful, so the purchase of a
gun is questionable. It is likely this is merely an attempt to
show off."
As the purchase of the gun will not benefit the administration
or the people of Lampung, Aryanto demanded that the budget
committee scrap the firearm purchase from the ABT.
The document also contained a proposal to purchase another
firearm, also Rp 150 million, for the deputy governor.
At a meeting last Thursday, the governor proposed the ABT,
which included a Rp 900 million (US$97,800) item for "governor's
security". Of this amount, Rp 600 million is allocated for
firearms for security guards, while the rest covers the firearms
purchases for the governor and the deputy governor.
In response, councillor Muzakir Noor said he would convey the
demand at an upcoming plenary meeting, but underlined the
decision would be up to the Lampung Council.
Meanwhile, councillor Fauzi Saleh from the Golkar Party said
that, as the top official of Lampung, the governor deserved to
have a gun. Fauzi, who also sits on the budget committee, also
said Rp 150 million for the gun was not exorbitant, as it was
inclusive of the gun license fee.
The furor over the ABT started a few weeks ago, when Governor
Sjachroedin ZP filed the Rp 39 billion (US$4.23 million) proposed
additional budget spending to the council.
The extra spending comes on top of the 2004 provincial budget
of Rp 767.75 billion, and was approved earlier this year by the
Lampung Council and administration.
Of the proposed additional expenditures, 70 percent is to be
spent on government procurement and construction projects, and
luxury car purchases.
The cars include a Rp 750 million Toyota Crown for the Lampung
governor, and two Toyota Camrys at Rp 475 million each -- one for
the Lampung Council speaker and another for the secretary of the
Lampung administration.