Meeting sequel gives staff more work
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
One hundred council employees were busy removing meeting equipment from city-owned Wisma Jaya Raya resort in Puncak, West Java, where councillors deliberated the proposed 2001 city budget, to the council building on Jl. Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta.
It was part of their job, for which they were paid Rp 150,000 a day for the two-day meeting in Puncak, which started on Wednesday.
"The amount is small if we compare it the work they did. They almost worked around the clock," council spokesman Rubingan told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Rubingan claimed he ran up a Rp 100,000 cellular phone bill during the Puncak meeting, contacting television reporters and other people.
The employees, who are among the council's 150 employees, started removing the equipment on Thursday night.
Among the equipment were microphones, a photocopy machine and several computers. The equipment was taken to Wisma Jaya Raya because the resort lacked such equipment.
The microphones were returned to the council's five commission rooms on Thursday night while the photocopy machine and computers arrived at the council building on Friday morning.
"Actually we saved much money since we used our own equipment," Rubingan boasted.
The Puncak meeting reportedly cost Rp 1.5 billion, most of which was used to pay for dozens of rooms for about 500 meeting participants, as well as to pay for food and beverages.
Among the council's five commissions, Commission D for development affairs and Commission B for economic affairs did not complete their work in Puncak and are continuing their meetings here.
However, the councillors announced on Friday that the meetings were closed to reporters, sparking suspicion that backroom deals would take place in the meetings.
Councillor Tjuk Sudono of the National Mandate Party denied the possibility of any deals.
The commissions will discuss several things, including projects worth billions of rupiah that will be carried out this year.
Several businessmen were seen approaching the councillors and city officials during the two-day meeting in Puncak.