Bandung allots Rp 1.2 billion for new councilors

The Bandung administration has allocated Rp 1.2 billion (US$120,000) from its 2009 budget to welcome the 50 new members of the city's legislative council to be inaugurated next month.

Local administration secretary Ebet Hidayat said Friday almost Rp 1 billion of the money would be used to buy new luxury cars for chief councilor and his two deputies.

The remaining Rp 200 million is earmarked for the procurement of official attire for the 50 new councillors and to finance their inauguration ceremony, which is scheduled for on July 27, 2009.

Ebet said his office and the council's budgetary committee had agreed to procure three new Honda Accord sedans for the new leaders of the council. "We will just follow up on what has been allocated for in the budget because we have agreed on that and this has officially been approved," Ebet said.

He said the Bandung administration needs to buy new cars for three new council leaders as the existing Toyota Camry sedans would be sold to their users, the incumbent councilors.

Ebet said the planned auction was in line with the relevant decree issued by the home affairs minister in 2007. The regulation on management of assets belonging to local administration allows official cars aged five years to be auctioned off to their users.

According to Ebet, the Bandung administration is also making an inventory of at least another 19 official cars used by the incumbent council members before they are withdrawn.

Ebet further said the official attire for the 50 new councilors would cost his office a total of Rp 115 million, or some Rp 2.3 million per member.

Apart from the Rp 1.2 billion for the new legislature, the local administration has allotted Rp 416.7 million in severance payments for the outgoing 50 councillors.

The three outgoing council leaders will each receive Rp 12.6 million; other members will get Rp 8 million.