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