Megawati's Bali holiday ruins thrift drive: Critics

Bambang Nurbianto and Febiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The first family's five-day holiday on the resort Island of Bali is marring the President's recently launched campaign for austerity, critics said on Sunday.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri, her husband Taufik Kiemas and relatives and close friends are in Bali until Wednesday. They plan celebrate the new year and Taufik's 58th birthday.

A personal pleasure trip using state facilities is not in line with the spirit of the austerity campaign that the Megawati administration started just last week, critics maintained.

Chairman of the Indonesian Society for Transparency (MTI) Sudirman said here on Sunday the austerity campaign would become meaningless if top government leaders failed to serve as a model.

"We just heard about austerity, efficiency and other efforts to cut unnecessary consumption. Why should the people listen to her if she fails to do what she preaches," Sudirman told The Jakarta Post.

Criticism also came from Wardah Hafidz, chairwoman of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC). She said the vacation showed her inconsistency.

"Megawati has frequently made inconsistent statements. People may still remember how she pledged to combat corruption, collusion and nepotism, but she allows her relatives to practice just that," Wardah told the Post.

Megawati's 44-strong entourage, including members of her family, friends and government officials flew to Bali using a presidential plane.

She went on the trip just a few days after she called on the nation's people to lead more modest lifestyles. The call was followed by a ministerial instruction to cut state expenses in all government's offices.

Sudirman said no one would question the President's right to enjoy a holiday under the normal circumstances because it is everybody's right.

People will respect Megawati more if, during the serious economic crisis and in the context of the austerity campaign she initiated, she also showed modesty in holidaying, he said.

The Bali pleasure trip is also feared to raise more questions over her recent decision to cancel an official trip to Papua over Christmas initially scheduled for Dec. 23. The Papuan people have demanded to know the real reasons for the trip cancellation, as no clear reason had been given.

"I am afraid, the Papuan people will be angry knowing that the President is celebrating the new year in Bali," Sudirman said.

Separately, an official at the State Secretariat told the Post on Sunday that there were no laws on the use of state facilities by the President for recreational activities.

The secretariat's job is to just arrange everything for the first family's program.

"The President is using state facilities during her trip to Bali. They are accommodated at Tampak Siring Palace," said the official who refused to say whether the state also financed the whole trip.

The ongoing deliberation on the bill on the presidency at the House of Representatives seems to overlook details such as vacations and personal use of the state properties by the President.

Sudirman did not question the state facilities being used by the President and her family as they have rights to use the facilities.

"If the situation were normal, there would be no problem with such a holiday. People question such a trip because of the difficulties being faced by the nation," he added.