Padang council speakers shun new official cars

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post, Padang

Emulating the footsteps of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) leaders campaigning for a modest lifestyle, West Sumatra's Padang legislative council speakers have rejected new official cars.

Council speaker Hardison of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said he and his two deputies -- Z. Panji Alam from the Golkar Party and Masdi Ardi from the National Mandate Party (PAN) -- would not approve of the plan to purchase three new official cars for themselves.

The city's 2004 budget did not allot funds for the planned purchase, Hardison argued.

"We will reject it because it's unclear where the money would come from to buy the new cars. That's our reason," he said after being inaugurated on Thursday as the new Padang council speaker along with Panji and Masdi as deputy speakers.

Hardison admitted that Padang Mayor Fauzi Bahar offered the three council leaders new official cars to replace the old ones, which would be auctioned due to what the city administration claimed was no longer worthy for use.

The previous Padang council speaker received a Corolla Twin Cam sedan and his two deputies a Toyota Kijang each. Bought in 1997, all three official cars were in good shape and road worthy.

Although he rejected the planned purchase of three new official cars this year, Hardison did not rule out the possibility that he and his two deputies would accept them if the funds for their purchase was allocated from the 2005 budget.

"Next year, if there is a fund allotted to buy new official cars, we'll see then whether we will continue to reject or accept them," he said.

In his speech during Thursday's inauguration of the new Padang council leaders, Mayor Fauzi Bahar lauded their decision to reject the purchase of three new official cars.

"I appreciate the stance of the council leaders," he said.

The mayor, however did not say whether the purchase of new official cars for the current council speakers should be planned in 2005 or not.

Earlier in Jakarta, MPR speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid of the Islamic-oriented PKS launched a national campaign for a modest lifestyle among state officials.

He recently said that he and his deputies would shun luxury Volvo sedans as their new official cars and would not stay in suite rooms of a five-star hotel in order not to waste state money during the seemingly endless economic crisis.

Hidayat's modest lifestyle campaign comes as corruption has been widespread in legislatures across the country during six years of the current reform era since the fall of president Soeharto in 1998.

Earlier this year, almost the entire West Sumatra legislative council members were convicted in a collective graft scam by the Padang District Court. However, all those convicted remain free, pending appeals. Several of them were even reelected as councillors in the April 5 legislative elections.

Many other councillors in regions have also been convicted, standing trial or under investigation for alleged corruption.