Tangerang councilors land Rp 450m 'farewell token'

TANGERANG (JP): The Tangerang Regency office has provided a "farewell token" of Rp 10 million (US$1,500) cash to each of the 45 regency councilors.

The gifts amounting to Rp 450 million, taken from the regency's current 1999/2000 fiscal year budget, were handed over personally by Regent Agus Djunara on Tuesday night in a farewell evening party in the vast Lippo Karawaci housing and business complex.

In his speech Agus said that the councilors, who sat at their posts for only two years instead of the scheduled five, had given "additional value" for the development of the area, particularly their efforts to produce a number of local regulations.

"The thank you money, which is only Rp 10 million per person, is nothing compared to what you've done for this regency," Agus said.

The amount was indeed much lower than what the councilors earlier requested. All 45 members of the Tangerang Regency Legislative Council had agreed to ask for Rp 50 million per person from Agus' office.

After a period of bargaining, the figure of Rp 10 million per councilor was settled on.

"The financial condition of the regency leads us to in no way be able to give bigger amounts of cash," the regent said.

In response, council speaker Muchson said he and his colleagues accepted the payment.

Councilor Ebi Djauhari, leader of the Golkar Party faction, commented: "The money can really help, at least for those who would not be reelected to the posts."

According to Muchson, all councilors, including those who will not be reelected, accept the fact and can see they are not alone in having to quit their positions after only two years.

Tragedy

"It's a national tragedy since all councilors across the country also face the same thing," he said.

Like other places throughout Indonesia, the Tangerang Regency Legislative Council will soon be filled with new faces as a result of the recent general election.

However, instead of completing remaining tasks and preparing to hand over responsibility to their elected successors, many councilors are busy haggling over so-called uang pesangon (separation payments) from their administration offices.

Councilors in Jakarta, for example, had proposed payments of Rp 50 million each to Governor Sutiyoso's administration.

Last week, the governor said his office had already met the councilors' requests.

But until Wednesday, many of the councilors claimed that they had not received the money.

"I'm still waiting for the 'good news'," councilor Amarullah Asbah, who is also head of Jakarta's Council Commission C for financial affairs, said.

In Bogor, the "farewell token", locally known as kadeudeuh, has become a hot issue across town.

Earlier, all of the 45 local councilors reportedly asked for Rp 20 million each from the administration office of Mayor Iswara Natanegara.

But several councilors and officials now oppose the request. They instead suggested that the mayoralty use the money to help needy residents, such as the starving babies of poor families in outlying villages.

"Councilors are not factory workers, who must receive a form of separation pay when they quit," head of the mayoralty's social-political affairs office E. Rukanda said on Tuesday. (41/ida/bsr)