Meeting sequel gives staff more work
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.