No trips abroad starting next year, says PPP

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) decided on Monday to forbid its 13 councillors from going on overseas trips, but allowed them to proceed with planned tours for the rest of the year.

The decision came amid mounting public criticism that the tours, which councillors claim are for comparative studies, were inefficient and wasteful.

"Starting next year and until 2004, PPP councillors are forbidden from going on these trips. Even if the trips are allocated in the budget, we will not go on them," chairman of the city chapter of PPP Djafar Badjeber said.

Djafar, who is also the deputy chairman of City Council, added that the party would allow the councillors to take part in the trips that had been scheduled for this year.

"We do not forbid the councillors from joining trips this year since they (the funds) have been allocated in the current budget," he said.

This year's city budget allocates Rp 12 billion for the councillors' domestic and foreign trips. More than half of the fund has been used for the trips for comparative studies in various places around the world.

Djafar urged councillors who conducted the recent comparative study abroad to clarify the trip.

He said that not all councillors agreed to the idea to stop foreign trips next year.

"We can't force them to follow our decision," he said.

So far only PPP has decided to put a stop to the trips, while the other 10 factions in the council have refused to comment on the matter.

Deputy chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle Roy B.B. Janis said on Saturday that the trips were wasteful but were entirely in City Council's hands.

Activists and lawyers have condemned the trips, saying that they were a waste of taxpayers' money. They said the trips were corrupt and called on public prosecutors to investigate the matter.

Separately, chairman of City Council Commission A for administration, security and public order, government affairs Binsar Tambunan denied that the councillors had fun on their recent trip to Tokyo and Beijing.

"We were met by local officials in both cities. It was not a pleasure trip," Binsar of PDI Perjuangan said on Monday.

He said some 17 councillors visited Tokyo's crisis center and its fire department and met officials of the People's Congress of China in their comparative study on disaster management.

He claimed the councillors had learned from Beijing officials how to arrange an integral city budget, adding that it could be applied to Jakarta.

"We will issue a press release on our foreign trips," said Binsar, who arrived here on Sunday from Beijing.

He refused to comment on the visits to tourist attractions during the seven-day trip, which was arranged by Anta Tour travel agency.

According to a program made by the travel agency, the councillors spent most of their time visiting tourist attractions.

Last month, Indonesian consulates in Los Angeles and Madrid stated that the councillors' trips to the two cities to study entertainment tax and waste management respectively, were ineffective as they were not well-prepared. (jun)