Lampung councillors spend millions on trips

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung

Barely a month after they were inaugurated as councillors in Lampung province, members of three separate regional legislative councils here have begun embarking on expensive consultation trips that are costing the state hundreds millions of rupiah.

Twenty-three councillors at the Bandarlampung municipality council went last week to the office of Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno in Jakarta to shed light on a series of government regulations pertaining to regional councils.

According to a source at the municipal council, each councillor was allocated a Rp 2.5 million (US$266) allowance for the trip. The councillors departed to Jakarta from Bandarlampung on Tuesday afternoon last week and returned home this Tuesday.

During a meeting with Hari, they discussed rules about the election of municipal council leaders and the establishment of council factions.

"The minister's answers in the meeting will be our guidelines," said councillor Benny Mansyur, who is in charge of electing council leaders at Bandarlampung.

A similar trip is being made by councillors from the North Lampung and Way Kanan regencies. Twenty-two North Lampung councillors went to Jakarta on Tuesday last week and are set to return home on Friday, while 35 Way Kanan councillors are planning to go to Jakarta next week. The Way Kanan councillors' three-day trip, which will cost the state Rp 105 million, is made up of councillor allowances amounting to Rp 3 million each.

Besides discussing the election of council leaders with Hari, North Lampung councillors would also discuss the matter of recess and the establishment of the council's Honorary Body within the House of Representatives, secretary Buyung Iqbal Salim said.

"The trip is important and this is not a waste of money. The councillors will benefit much from the trip, as it will shed light on the best practices in electing council leaders and other aspects of council activities," Buyung said.

Responding to the series of councillor trips, activist Wahyu Sasongko said they were a waste of money.

"If they intend to find out more about government rules pertaining to the election of council leaders, they can do it just by phone or by sending two or three representatives to meet the minister. They do not necessarily all have to come to Jakarta in groups," said Wahyu, the coordinator of Lampung Parliament Watch.