Palu councillor honored for refusing mayor's 'gift'

Palu councillor honored for refusing mayor's 'gift'

Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu

Non-governmental organizations honored Palu legislative council
member Ali Lamu here on Monday for shunning gifts at a time of
rampant corruption in local legislatures across Indonesia.

Ali, from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), refused more
than Rp 4 million (US$444) from the city's mayor to buy a jacket.

The remaining 29 councillors, voted into office in the April 5
legislative election in Central Sulawesi, reportedly accepted
similar gifts valued at Rp 4 million each from Mayor Suwardin
Suebo.

It is unclear why Suwardin provided these gifts to the council
members.

For his refusal to accept the gift, Ali received the Daeng
Maraja Lamakarate Award from the Coalition of Non-Governmental
Organizations and Coffee Shop Community.

Coalition coordinator Sapri Laupa, speaking during an award
ceremony, said the award was aimed at motivating local
councillors to reject gifts or money to which they were not
entitled.

The award is named for former Donggala regent Daeng Maraja
Lamakarate. Sapri said that when serving in the 1960s, Lamakarate
always refused to accept money he was not entitled to.

When taking official trips, the late Lamakarate always
returned to the administration's coffers any money he did not
spend during his trip.

"At the time, Lamakarate made an official trip to Parigi (in
Central Sulawesi), and when he returned to Palu the leftover
money for the trip was returned to the administration," Sapri
said.

He said that Lamakarate told officials he had no right to keep
the money, which he saved by staying overnight in his son's house
rather than in a hotel.

The regent returned to Palu using his official car, filled
with gasoline purchased by his son, Sapri added.

"So the money allocated for his hotel and gasoline was
returned because he (Lamakarate) did not spend it. This is very
different from the way state officials today behave. They even
make fictitious trips so they can pocket the funds allocated for
them," he said.

Sapri said the coalition honored councillor Ali because he had
demonstrated his integrity in carrying out the work of the
people.

He said that before honoring the councillor, the coalition had
researched his background through public questionnaires, a coffee
shop discussion and media reports, as well as an interview with
the prospective recipient.

Ali Lamu said the award would further encourage him and other
councillors to push for clean governance and not to accept bribes
or gifts.

"It is already regulated that council members are prohibited
from accepting gifts in any form. So I think Rp 4 million to buy
a jacket was a gift for me, less than a month after being sworn
in as a Palu council member," Ali said.