West Java regental councillors refuse payments

Nana Rukmana, Indramayu, West Java

Councillors in the Indramayu and Majalengka regencies have refused billions of rupiah in end-of-term honorariums, saying the big payouts would be better allocated to running the elections and developing education and health services in the regions.

The rare decision was taken amid the widespread prosecution of regional councillors nationwide over graft cases and misuse of funds.

Syarif Kaslam, the Crescent and Star Party (PBB) faction chairman of the Indramayu regental council, confirmed on Thursday all 45 councillors in the regency were to have received Rp 50 million in "gratitude payments" for serving five years in the legislature. The council will disband in August.

The total Rp 2.25 billion used for payments came from this year's regional budget. "But, we had a meeting on Wednesday and at the meeting, all 45 councillors agreed to refuse the gratitude payments," Syarif said.

Syarif said the funds could be used by the Indramayu regental General Election Commission, which was short of Rp 3 billion of funds to run the upcoming presidential elections.

Hermanto, the chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, said he had instructed all 18 councillors in the faction to refuse the gratitude payments.

"We understand the government is short of funds," he said.

The honorariums, known as "dana kadeudeuh" in West Java, are regularly provided to councillors whose terms are ending.

Earlier, all 45 councillors at the Majalengka regental legislature refused the Rp 50 million payment. Speaker of the legislature Cucup Supardjo said on Wednesday council members had refused the total of Rp 2.25 billion in payments as they thought the money should be returned to the people by developing education and health services in the regency.

"We refuse the money not because we are showing off, but because of the concern among members that there are still many people who need it more," Cucup said.

Many elementary and junior high schools in Majalengka were in a severely dilapidated condition, he said.

Majalengka Regent Tutty Hayati Anwar welcomed the decision, which she called wise.

"The decision proves that our colleagues in the legislative council have a sense of crisis. We greatly respect the decision," she said.