MPR's Annual Session too expensive, says Akbar

JAKARTA (JP): Only at the end of the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Friday, did the Golkar Party faction finally come to the conclusion that the expenditure involved in the 10-day event was excessive.

It suggested that the MPR cut the budget by 50 percent for next year's session.

Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung told a media briefing prior to the closing ceremony that the state should have not earmarked hotel accommodation expenses for this year's MPR Annual Session. These expenses accounted for Rp 10 billion out of the total budget of Rp 25.7 billion.

All 690 MPR legislators attending the session were provided with rooms at two five-star hotels near the Assembly compound.

Many had criticized the whopping accommodation expenses on the grounds that the 500 MPR members, who are also House of Representatives legislators, already live in their respective official residences in the Kalibata area of South Jakarta, which form part of the facilities provided by the government to those who provide service to the state.

Akbar welcomed the criticism and suggested that efficiency be pursued from the 2001 Annual Session onwards.

He said that with security conditions improving, there should be no need to accommodate MPR legislators in luxury hotels during an annual session.

"For this reason, a peaceful and calm atmosphere is imperative prior to and during the MPR Annual Session," Akbar said.

Also attending the briefing were chairman of the Golkar faction in the MPR Fahmi Idris and his deputies Andi Matalatta and Theo Sambuaga.

Upon revealing the budget for the Annual Session, MPR Secretary General Umar Basalim said that the legislators were accommodated at hotels to guarantee that they came on time to the meetings of the session without any experiencing any difficulties, such as if there were rallies or riots taking place.

Other expenses included publicizing the results of the Annual Session (Rp 5 billion), honorariums for employees and specially recruited assistants (Rp 7 billion) and transportation expenses for the legislators (Rp 1 billion). (rms/prb)