Official angry over firm's discipline misconduct

JAKARTA (JP): A city official expressed his anger yesterday over the alleged misconduct of Multi Prabu Production, a private company planning to give awards to 150 companies in connection with the National Discipline Movement.

Bambang Sungkono, an assistant to the deputy governor of administration on the supervision of city officials, said that based on a municipality investigation, it appeared the company had used the movement to gain money for its own advantage.

Bambang said that the investigation team, consisting of representatives of the city's sociopolitical affairs office, started working on the issue last month following complaints from several companies. Each had been asked to pay Rp 200,000 (US$66.6) to attend the awards presentation ceremony.

"The investigation uncovered that Multi Prabu had sent invitations to 60 of the companies winning the awards," Bambang said.

Bambang said that Multi Prabu, whose address is Jl. Kayu Manis Timur, in East Jakarta, claimed to have received approval from the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security.

However, a letter, signed by the minister's secretary, said that the national discipline movement's committee never assigned a private company to evaluate the movement here, he said.

The letter, Bambang said, also said that the plan to use the award presentation ceremony to raise money from the public was against the committee's spirit and policy.

Bambang urged the public not to be fooled by the invitation letters, even though they bore stamps from the coordinating minister's office and the city administration.

Bambang said that the organizing committee's headquarters, as stated in the letters, was only a temporary office with a telephone line being borrowed from a housewife in the neighborhood.

"Moreover, the invitations were not reported to the city's revenue office," he said.

However, an executive of Multi Prabu who asked not to be named, said last night that his company was not as deceitful as Bambang had said.

"Our activities have been approved by deputy governor of administrative affairs Idroes," he said.

According to the invitation, Multi Prabu is scheduled to give awards to the 150 companies at the President Hotel on Aug. 24.

"Due to differences with some municipality officials, we have agreed to postpone the event to Sept. 21, until after we have settled the problems," the executive said.

"We are ready to meet with the city officials who question the existence of my company any time," he said, adding that his activities in connection with the award presentation were financed mostly by the company itself.

The invitees were not forced to pay for the invitations, he said. "If they give us money voluntarily, however, we will accept it to compensate the funds used to finance the event," he added. (ste/hhr)