Regent demands official cars as leaving gifts

Regent demands official cars as leaving gifts

Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Donggala, Central Sulawesi

Nabi Bidja, the regent of Donggala in Central Sulawesi, has proposed to the legislative council that the regency administration's 28 official cars be changed in status to private cars.

Included among these official cars are a Toyota Landcruiser and a Toyota Corolla Twin Cam sedan used by the regent.

"We have devoted ourselves as public servants and have served the people in Donggala for five years, so why can't we be given cars?" he told The Jakarta Post.

The regent claimed that transferring the ownership papers of the cars from the regency to private individuals would not violate any regulations.

Nabi, whose five-year term ends next week, said his proposal to give away the cars made perfect sense, and urged the council to approve the idea immediately.

Two of the administration's cars are used by the regent, while the other 26 cars are used by high-ranking officials in the regency, located dozens of kilometers northwest of Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi.

The speaker of the legislature, Ridwan Yalidjama, conceded that the proposal did not violate any regulations, but said a sense of properness could force the legislature to reject the car giveaway.

The regent has to take into account that the official cars were procured from the regency budget, not from his allowance as regent. If the cars were obtained through the regent's allowance, the transfer of ownership rights might be proper, Ridwan said.

"It's true there is no binding rule regarding this issue, but that doesn't mean we should agree to it just like that. Be reasonable!" he said.

Ridwan said SUV and the sedan were procured using money from the 2000 budget. "The Landcruiser is not even three years old. Why has he asked for it? That's wrong."

A lawyer in Palu, Karman Karim, said the regent's proposal was over the top.

"Why does the regent want these cars that were bought with the people's money. It's excessive," he asserted.

He demanded the Donggala Legislative Council reject the regent's proposal.

Nabi Bidja loss January's regental election by one vote to Adam Ardjad Lamarauna, who will take over as the new regent on March 8.