Riau councillors demand bonuses
Riau councillors demand bonuses
Puji Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru
Riau councillors, who have been in office for barely two months,
have demanded Idul Fitri bonuses, as the annual holiday is only
four days away.
Senior councillor Chaidir acknowledged on Wednesday that
several councillors had spoken to him recently about the bonuses,
which had been included in the council budget this year.
According to the budget, each councillor is entitled to Rp 17.5
million (US$1,861) as an Idul Fitri bonus.
But, Chaidir, the speaker of Riau Provincial Legislative
Council, told them that the council could not disburse the
bonuses without the approval of the minister of home affairs.
Chaidir explained that the secretary to the provincial council
had earlier sent a letter to the home minister, asking him
whether the bonus fund could be disbursed.
But, the minister has not given a formal response to date,
leaving the councillors in limbo. "We need formal approval from
the minister to avoid possible prosecution," said Chaidir,
referring to corruption charges currently being faced by many
councillors nationwide.
The Riau provincial councillors have apparently learned from
earlier corruption charges leveled at fellow councillors,
including councillors in Kampar regency, another regency in Riau
province.
Forty-five Kampar councillors were named suspects after they
accepted Rp 25 million each in gratuity payments at the end of
their term from the regency's budget.
The gratuity payment had no legal basis, and neither did it
have the approval of the home minister, prompting local activists
to report the councillors to the prosecutor's office.
The prosecutors followed up the report and charged the Kampar
councillors with graft. The trial is currently underway.
Separately, Pekanbaru residents demanded that the home
minister reject the provincial council's proposal for Idul Fitri
bonuses.
Local resident Dharma Hutajulu said that the councillors had
received more than decent perks so that it was unethical for them
to demand more money. Each councillor earns some Rp 10 million to
15 million a month, not including facilities such as housing and
a car, far above local standards.
"The minister should not approve the proposal. The councillors
should pay more attention to the interests of the people rather
than their own narrow interests," Dharma said.
Chief of the Prosperous Justice Party faction at the
provincial council, Nurdin, said that his faction would reject
the bonuses if the home minister rejected the request. "If there
is no strong legal basis for the bonus, we will certainly reject
it," said Nurdin.