Sutiyoso, Edy upset over councillors' trips

Sutiyoso, Edy upset over councillors' trips

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso and City Council Speaker Edy
Waluyo will summon the board of directors of the city-owned PT
Pembangunan Jaya Ancol over a Rp 4 billion (US$425,500) fund used
to finance six councilors' overseas trips last month.

Sutiyoso and Edy said to journalists in separate interviews
they were curious as to why and how the company had agreed to
allocate such a large amount of money for the councilors' trips,
while the administration had set aside a total of Rp 13 billion
from the 2000 city budget for councilors' overseas trips this
year. There are currently 85 councilors.

The two high-ranking city officials said that an explanation
of the matter from the company's board of directors was badly
needed.

"Maybe I can say a lot more about it after I get detailed
reports (from the company's directors)," Sutiyoso said. "If the
reasons (for funding the trips) are not acceptable, appropriate
actions will follow. But once again I cannot say much about it
until I meet the directors," said Sutiyoso.

Echoing Sutiyoso's statements, Edy said that he wanted the
company directors to clarify what had happened to the City
Council.

Both Sutiyoso and Edy seemed to be reluctant to talk to
reporters about the matter, saying that they merely did not want
to provoke polemics.

PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol is part of the chain company PT
Pembangunan Jaya, of which more than 80 percent shares are owned
by the city administration. Sutiyoso is the chief commissioner of
PT Pembangunan Jaya. Tycoon Ciputra owns the rest of the
company's shares.

Sutiyoso said that he had never been notified about the
project until the media reported it.

PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol's spokesman Muchrijul Adzli had
earlier told journalists that some councilors asked for money for
ten-day trips to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Japan, South Africa and
Australia mid last month.

It was also earlier reported that the councilors had
questioned why, in the 2000 budget, the city administration
subsidized the Sea World recreation park. Reports state that the
taxes paid by the park were to be returned as the
administration's subsidy. There was no report on the exact amount
of the subsidy, but many speculated that the councilors' overseas
trips funded by the company may have been a retaliatory action
toward the administration.

According to Edy he found it difficult to get reliable sources
on the Rp 4 billion-trips. "Most of the councilors deny it."

He reiterated that 11 City Hall officials joined the six
councilors on the overseas trips, saying that the media had made
one-sided reports.

"Maybe the city officials could give a better explanation than
the councilors," Edy said.

Amarullah Asbah, chairman of City Council's Commission C on
Finance Affairs, said PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol must explain the
matter to the board of commissioners.

He said the city administration owned more than 80 percent of
the company's shares, and received a contribution of Rp 6 billion
this year, up 30 percent from Rp 4.25 billion in 1999.

Another councilor Saud Rahman, Deputy Chief of Commission D on
Development Affairs denied that the company provided financial
assistance for the councilors' trip.

"It is irrelevant and doesn't make any sense. We have our own
budget for overseas trips, we don't need to look to any other
party," said Saud.

He acknowledged that councilors deserved to join overseas
trips as part of comparative study programs.

He said that seven officials from PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol
also joined the trip to South Africa.

"PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol's spokesman lied!," he said. He was
one of the six councilors.(dja/07)