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Governor lavishes Rp 1 billion on cards, stamps
West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan’s move to spend more than Rp 1 billion (US$111,420) from the local budget on personalized stamps and Idul Fitri cards has drawn criticism
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est Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan’s move to spend more than Rp 1 billion (US$111,420) from the local budget on personalized stamps and Idul Fitri cards has drawn criticism.
Protests emerged after state postal company PT Pos Indonesia’s spokesman in Bandung, Suyud Suhendar, on Wednesday said the company had been ordered to distribute 450,000 cards from the administration to all officials — from neighborhood chiefs to regents and mayors — in all of West Java’s 26 cities and regencies.
The order, which was to be carried out before Idul Fitri on Sept. 10 and 11, was the second of its kind from the governor, Suyud said. “A similar order was made last year, but it was not as many as this year. In 2009 we delivered around 100,000 cards for the governor.”
The cards, sent on behalf of the provincial administration and funded with the local budget, show pictures of Ahmad, but not his deputy, Yusuf Macan Effendy.
In one card, the governor is pictured wearing an official suit, while in the other two cards he wears Cirebon and Garut batik shirts. The personalized card also serves as a calendar for 2011. The Rp 1,500 stamps also feature the governor in three different poses.
Suyud said the total amount spent on the stamps was Rp 675 million, while the cards were made by a separate printing company. If the cards cost Rp 1,000 apiece, they may have cost the province Rp 450 million.
West Java administration secretary spokesman Iip Hidajat confirmed there had been a special budget allocation for the governor’s Idul Fitri cards.
“The funds used to print the cards came from the maintenance division budget, while the funding for the stamps came from protocol,” Iip said.
The spending had been approved by the West Java Legislative Council.
The cards from the governor drew criticism from observers.
Bandung Institute of Government Studies (BIGS) deputy director Suhud Darmawan said the governor should have sought a cheaper means to ask for forgiveness during Idul Fitri.
He said the governor had sent the cards out of his personal interest, not on behalf of the administration, since he did not include his deputy.
“[He could have] just sent an SMS. This would have been much cheaper,” Suhud said.
The use of state funds also drew criticism from political observer I Gde Pantja Astawa of Padjadjaran University. “He could have placed an ad in the media. This would have been cheaper and effective. Once it is printed or aired, it would reach millions of people.”
Personal touch
In efforts to keep pace with rapid changes in technology, PT Pos Indonesia offers several new products, including Prisma, which allows customers to have their own pictures printed on stamps. For this service, customers need only apply at a post office in their city. The personalized stamps come in a series of eight, and are worth Rp 2,250 each.
