Regents, mayors told to close Jakarta offices

Regents, mayors told to close Jakarta offices

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Governor Rizal Nurdin ordered on Monday that regental/municipal
representative offices of North Sumatra in Jakarta be closed to
raise efficiency.

Emerging from a briefing for all 23 North Sumatra regents and
mayors, the governor said the representative offices had been
useful for accommodating local officials visiting Jakarta.

"But in recent years, the offices have been abused by local
and central officials, councillors and legislators as venues for
lobbying sessions, which often turned into corruption schemes,"
he said.

The briefing follows a recent national meeting of governors in
Jakarta called by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who told
the senior officials not to spend lavishly on trips abroad or to
the capital, and instead focus on regional issues.

Susilo also urged the governors to close their
regental/municipal offices in Jakarta, which number over 100.

Indonesia has more than 400 municipalities and regencies.

North Sumatra has two regental/municipal offices in Jakarta,
representing the Central Tapanuli and Simalungun regencies.

Although he would shut down the two representative offices,
Rizal said the provincial representative office would remain.

"North Sumatra is represented in Jakarta through this office,"
he said.

Separately, Central Tapanuli Regent Tuani Lumban Tobing said
his administration was ready for the closure of its Jakarta
office, and rejected suggestions that the office had been used as
a meeting point for graft transactions.

Meanwhile, Medan Mayor Abdillah hailed the initiative by the
President and its implementation by Rizal. Abdillah said the
Medan administration had long ago decided not to open a
representative office in the capital.

"If we opened such an office, its maintenance would be costly.
When we are in Jakarta, we prefer to stay in the office of the
North Sumatra provincial government," he said.