W. Java council leaders request new official cars
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
As protesters marched through the streets in opposition to a planned fuel price hike, West Java provincial council leaders voiced their own demand: new official cars.
The head of the West Java provincial administration's maintenance bureau, Rene Ryadi, said on Monday the council speaker had requested a Toyota Camry 3.0 and his three deputies asked for Toyota Camry 2.4s.
The proposal, he said, was submitted two weeks before Governor Danny Setiawan delivered the amended 2005 West Java provincial budget on Sept. 18.
"I do not know how much the cars cost because we do not yet have fixed prices from dealers, but the proposal was included in the amended budget submitted to the council's budget committee," Rene said.
The market prices for the cars, he said, range from Rp 330 million (US$33,000) to Rp 430 million, excluding taxes.
He said the council leader's wanted to replace their five-year-old official cars.
Currently, West Java Council Speaker AM Ruslan of the Golkar Party drives a Toyota Crown manufactured in 2000 and purchased for about Rp 300 million.
His deputies -- Rudi Harsa of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Amin Suparmin of the United Development Party and Ahmad Ru'yat of the Justice Party -- drive Mitsubishi Gallant as their official cars. The cars were manufactured in 1999 and were procured for more than Rp 150 million each.
None of the four council leaders could be reached for comment at their offices on Monday and their cell phones were switched off.
Governor Danny Setiawan confirmed the proposal but said it was still under consideration by the budget committee.
A member of the council's budget committee, Eka Hardiana, said he had received the proposal but it did not specify the types of vehicles requested.
He said the council leaders showed no sense of crisis by asking for new cars at a time when many Bandung residents were suffering because of rising prices of basic commodities.
"They should consider whether this proposal is really necessary," he said.