Officials' overseas visits prompt protests

Rizal Harahap ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Pekanbaru   |  Sat, 11/21/2009 12:13 PM  |  The Archipelago

The Riau provincial administration has received criticism as dozens of its officials departed for the Netherlands, Norway and China on Thursday for what it claimed were visits to promote the province's tourism industry and economy.

Academics and activists from NGOs said the tours were a waste of the provincial budget, arguing such visits were useless in increasing foreign investment in Riau.

"The same visits have been conducted every year without results," Riau's Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) coordinator Fahriza said.

Fahriza said the visits were unnecessary, especially when a visit to the Netherlands in May was not publicized. "The administration needs to conduct an evaluation," Fahriza said. "If visits are useless, why should they go?"

He was suspicious that these visits were exercised so officials could sightsee and spend any leftover budget. Fahriza said administration officials were not banned from conducting overseas visits but they should only be undertaken if Indonesian citizens benefited from them.

"They have joined numerous expos abroad to attract foreign investors. But none have invested here. It's more beneficial to use the money to develop the province," he said.

Deliarnov, an economist from Riau University's School of Economics shared the same opinion. He said the administration needed an internal reform, especially regarding factors causing a high-cost economy.

Potential investors expressed interest in investing in the province, according to Deliarnov, but withdrew after they visited Riau and saw its condition.

Exhibitions and promotional activities, Deliarnov added, were indeed needed to attract investors. But only after internal problems affecting the investment climate in the province were fixed.

Deliarnov suggested it would be better for the provincial administration to use the overseas visiting fund to fight for a profit share of the oil and gas revenue (DHB Migas) and the general allocation fund (DAU) the province deserved to receive from the central government.

Deliarnov said the central government still owed Riau DBH Migas more than Rp 1 trillion (US$106 million), while the DAU continued to decrease. Riau received a DAU of Rp 251 billion in 2002. Next year, however, it will only receive Rp 58 billion. "Officials don't need to go abroad. They need to fight for the disbursement of funds to develop the province," Deliarnoy said. "Then they can promote abroad."

The provincial administration's pubic relations bureau chief, Chairul Riski, denied the accusation but admitted overseas visits helped use up leftover budget.

"Overseas visits are part of the provincial promotion and investment agency's annual program," Chairul said. "The budget has been allocated according to prevailing procedures."

He also said the chambers of commerce and industry of the respective countries had invited the officials.

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