Payday for top N. Sulawesi officials

Payday for top N. Sulawesi officials

MANADO, North Sulawesi: The North Sulawesi provincial
administration has allocated at least 2.59 percent of its 2003
budget on what are termed "tactical funds" for the governor,
deputy governor and council speaker.

As detailed in Governor A.J. Sondakh's decision on budget
allocations, this year's provincial budget amounts to more than
Rp 350 billion (US$41.17 million), of which over Rp 9 billion
will be devoted to the tactical funds.

The budget will be financed by local taxes, levies, profits
from local government enterprises, and general allocation fund
(DAU) and special allocation fund (DAK) transfers.

Out of the tactical funds, the governor will get Rp
4,569,844,000 in various allowances and travel expenses, the
deputy governor Rp 3,895,095,000 and the council speaker Rp
600,000,000, or around Rp 380 million, Rp 324 million and Rp 50
million per month respectively.

The huge funds earmarked for the three are in sharp contrast
to the allocation of Rp 165,064,218,100 for public expenditure on
the province's population of about two million people -- about Rp
82,502 per person per year.

However, some councillors appeared unfazed by the tactical
fund allocations for the three top officials, claiming they were
perfectly reasonable.

Sondakh claimed that the greater part of the funds would be
allocated to local community groups, and public and professional
organizations.

"We have to make a sufficient allocation. Any unspent funds
will be returned to the provincial treasury," he said. --JP