Speaking in Malang on Tuesday, MCW coordinator Zia Ul Haq said it was not only the buying of the cars that was burdening the regency budget, but the maintenance of the cars too. "The money could have been spent on the improvement of people's welfare," Zia said.

Zia added that the regency executives and legislators must make themselves a "model for the community" by performing their duties effectively, but in a modest way.

"The local administration has to change its mind-set; the number of cars allocated is not always related to capability or performance," Zia said.

He suggested that a regency legislature speaker needed only one official car, as was the case for a regent and vice regent. "This should be a matter for the administration agency in charge of managing the regency assets," he said.

"They cannot just give officials the state facilities they want, as if risking demoting them by not doing so," he added, suggesting the cars be withdrawn for the sake of saving the regency budget money and in the interests of the people.

Both the speaker and deputy speakers of Malang regency legislative councils of the 2004-2009 term of office were provided with three official cars each: a 2008 Toyota Fortuner, a 2005 Toyota Altis sedan and a 2001 Toyota Kijang LGX van.

Malang Regent Rendra Kresna had said previously the provision of the three cars to the council speaker and deputy speakers was not in line with Government Regulation (PP) No. 24/2004 on regional administration.

The regulation's Article 17 (1) stipulates that the council speaker and deputy speakers deserve only one official car each paid for by the regional budget.

Rendra, however, disagreed that the three-car allocation could be categorized as corruption.

"We are just saying that it is a waste of the regency budget and is against the rules," he told reporters.

It was for these reasons, according to Rendra, that the 2009-2014 council speaker and deputy speakers had only been given an allocation of one car each.

Rendra said he and his vice regent could not be blamed if they had been given allowances that were not in accordance with the existing regulation.

Based on the data from the regency's Income, Finance and Asset Management Agency (DPPKA), however, the council speaker and deputy speakers each received two cars, and later on another car was added, prompting criticism from the local community and the MCW.

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