Students say no to cars for councillors

TANGERANG: About 500 university students staged a rally at the Tangerang municipal legislative council and the administration office complex here on Friday to protest against the purchase of 45 cars by the administration for each of the councillors.

The students, grouped under the Tangerang's Students Executive Body (BEM-T), demanded that Mayor M. Thamrin immediately issue a decree to withdraw the purchase of the vehicles.

Arief Wahyudi of Muslim Student Action Union (KAMI) said the administration had just bought 45 Toyota Kijang LGX minivans worth more than Rp 150 million each to be distributed to the 45 local councillors. The councillors, who receive a Rp 12 million salary per month, will end their term within ten months.

The administration allocated a total of Rp 7.3 billion from its annual budget to purchase the cars.

The students said the money should have been used to improve the poor education and health facilities in the municipality.

They also feared that after the councillors' term ended, they would not return the cars to the administration, and keep them as their private property.

Burhan, the municipal council deputy spokesman, said it depended on the administration to decide on the status of ownership of the cars after the councillors' terms ended.

Mayor Thamrin said the councillors should return the cars after the term ends. --JP