You are not what you drive: Hidayat

Endy M. Bayuni, Jakarta

Some of our top elected officials have decided to spurn the Volvo limousines and royal suites in five-star hotels to which they are entitled.

Explaining the decision on Wednesday, Hidayat Nur Wahid, the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, said it was only appropriate that he and his deputies take the initiative in leading modest lives given the economic state the country has been in for the last seven years.

That such an initiative should come from Hidayat is not all that surprising. His Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) was one of only two parties that polled more votes in April's legislative election than in the 1999 elections. It won 7.34 percent of the vote after campaigning on a strong anticorruption platform. (Susilo's Democratic Party was the other one, contesting the polls for the first time and winning 7.45 percent of the vote.)

To Hidayat, and most of his supporters, being driven around in a Volvo hardly befits the image of a person who is expected to lead the fight against corruption. Publicly rejecting luxury goods is therefore one way of leading the campaign by example.

We know that elected political offices historically have come with material seductions. Some of these seductions, like the limousines, are legitimate. Others -- and this is where the real problem lies -- are not legitimate, like bribes and payoffs in return for favors officials can grant through their privileged positions.

It is an open secret that many elected or appointed politicians treat their offices more as an opportunity to enrich themselves, even after the state provides them with reasonable salaries and other material privileges. It is common knowledge that money and other luxury goods are exchanged for endorsing legislation on behalf of interest groups.

It is in light of this poor reputation surrounding our elected politicians that Hidayat launched the campaign to lead a modest life, and for our politicians for once to show a greater sense of crisis. Hidayat made it clear that he expected government officials, including Cabinet ministers who traditionally are also driven around in Volvos, to follow suit.

Hidayat's actions may be laudable, but there are still some questions that he and his colleagues in the Assembly need to answer to convince the public that their motives are noble.

The people have been deceived so many times before that they reserve the right to be skeptical of any move that smacks of populism. Unless Hidayat follows this up with other measures to promote his campaign for a modest life, his announcement will be seen as nothing more than another publicity gimmick.

In this material day and age, luxury really is relative. What is seen as inappropriate by Hidayat may seem perfectly acceptable to many others. Certainly, no one thought that Volvo limousines were inappropriate for our elected representatives and Cabinet ministers until Hidayat raised the issue on Wednesday.

A Volvo limousine costs between Rp 400 million and Rp 950 million, depending on the type. Would cars in the range of Rp 200 million to Rp 300 million be acceptable to Hidayat, or would they still be considered luxury goods? If we go by the definition of the tax office, then we really should be looking at cars priced at less than Rp 100 million, because anything above that is subject to luxury taxes. (But then so are computers, most electronic goods and, apparently, some soft drinks. Should we spurn those too?)

For most Indonesians, a car at any price is a luxury. Perhaps Hidayat would care to take a motorcycle instead, or like most people in Jakarta, take the bus to work? Now that would really be in keeping with his effort to show a sense of crisis, especially in the coming weeks when the new government enacts the inevitable fuel price hike.

We may recall that Harun Rasyid, a member of the General Elections Commission in 1999, returned his Toyota Kijang van and started taking the bus to work.

We are not suggesting that Hidayat do anything so drastic. Perhaps a more bottom of the range Volvo would still be deemed appropriate for our elected politicians.

There is the necessity for Hidayat to move around the city, and do so in comfort, especially given the stress of his job. Ask anyone who owns a Volvo and they will tell you they bought it for its comfort, reliability and other aspects that usually come with the price tag.

Hidayat and his deputies will probably make their supporters proud if they are chauffeur-driven in reasonably priced limousines. Such amenities usually come with the job.

A suite in a hotel is also not all that extravagant given Hidayat's position as speaker of the Assembly. He might want to use the living room that normally comes with a suite to hold meetings. If he feels offended by the presence of a sauna inside the suite, perhaps the hotel could provide him with a suite that is not fitted with one.

Indonesia clearly needs a campaign to lead more modest lives, given that the country is still mired in a seemingly endless economic crisis. With his position as Assembly speaker, Hidayat can lend prestige to such a campaign by leading by example.

Ultimately, however, he will not be judged so much by what car he drives (or is driven in), or the kind of hotel room he stays in. The savings to the state are unlikely to be all that significant in any case, even if other officials follow his example.

The spirit of leading by example is important, but Hidayat will be judged more by what he puts into his office. In the campaign to live modestly, he will be judged by the seriousness and consistency of his statements and actions.

The writer is Chief Editor of The Jakarta Post