Megawati spends $22.8m on overseas trips: PIB

Megawati spends $22.8m on overseas trips: PIB

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Having been in office for a year, President Megawati
Soekarnoputri has spent a staggering US$22.8 million on overseas
trips, according to a finding revealed by the Alliance for New
Indonesia (PIB).

PIB chairman Sjahrir said such a sum was spent on presidential
visits to the U.S., European countries, Southeast Asian
countries, China, North Korea, India and others.

"Such extravagant expenditure is clear evidence that the
Megawati government has no sense of crisis," economist Sjahrir
told a media conference on Monday.

The conference was aimed at assessing President Megawati's
first-year performance, from both political and economic
perspectives.

According to PIB, the data on Megawati's foreign trips was
obtained through media research and informal interviews,
including those with officials close to the President.

The total cost of Megawati's foreign trips was calculated on
the basis of expenditure on accommodation, transportation and
travel allowances for Megawati's entourage, including a group of
journalists.

"As there was some data that we could not obtain, in the end,
we simply made estimates," Sjahrir said, adding that, for
example, an estimate was made of the total amount spent on hotel
accommodation.

The difficulties were caused by a lack of government
transparency in publishing in detail the cost of overseas trips,
said Sjahrir.

"Despite possible inaccuracies, the total spent by the
Megawati administration will show the public that this government
has spent public money lavishly on overseas trips," said Sjahrir.

According to PIB findings, Megawati and her entourage spent
$2.3 million on hotel accommodation and $12.8 million on
transportation costs, including the charter costs of a Boeing
737-400 and Airbus A-330.

In addition, a total of US$6.6 million was spent on allowances
for entourage members.

According to PIB findings, the government spent a total of
US$1 million on the security force to guard Megawati during her
several-hour visit to East Timor to witness the country's
independence ceremony this year.

Expenditure for this high-profile visit included the cost of
deploying six warships and 2,000 soldiers.

"In total, the overall sum spent by the Megawati government on
overseas trips amounted to US$22.8 million," said Sjahrir.

PIB, a loose alliance of middle-class politicians and
economists, is scheduled to become a political party by Sept. 23
this year.