MPR's Annual Session to cost Rp 25.7 billion

JAKARTA (JP): The coming 10-day Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is expected to cost the state Rp 25.7 billion (US$2.8 million).

More than half of the funds will be used for hotel accommodation for the 700 members of the Assembly.

The Assembly's Secretary General Umar Basalim admitted that all 700 legislators would be provided with their own hotel rooms although most of them already live in Jakarta.

"It will guarantee that the legislators come on time to the meetings in the session without any disturbances, such as if there are rallies or riots," Umar told reporters in reference to questions about preparations for the Annual Session.

He said all the legislators are expected to check in to their hotels, the Hilton Hotel and the Hotel Mulia, on Saturday.

About 500 members of the Assembly, who are also members of the House of Representatives, occupy official residences here while the remaining 200 members come from outside Jakarta.

The remaining budget will be used for the socialization of the results of the Annual Session (Rp 5 billion), honorariums for employees and specially recruited assistants (Rp 7 billion) and transportation fees for the legislators (Rp 1 billion).

Umar said that the digital congress network system inside the Plenery Hall has also been prepared in the event that the legislators conduct a vote.

He said the system was rejected during last year's general election amid suspicions of vote engineering. In the end, legislators opted for a more tedious manual system.

At least 1,400 people have been hired to help support the Annual Session along with the 250 employees of the Assembly's secretariat.

At least 1,600 security forces, military and police officers, are being deployed to help secure the session.

As many as 1,884 local journalists, from both print and electronic media, and 262 foreign journalists have also registered to cover the political event of the year. (jun)