MPR's Annual Session to cost Rp 25.7 billion
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)