RI students in Germany reject House members' Rp 3.1b visit

Tantowi Yahya: (JP/P.J leo)

The Association of Indonesian Students in Germany and the German branch of the Islamic Organization Nahdatul Ulama (NU) protested a visit by House of Representatives members to the country on Tuesday.

The association said that the visit by members of Commission I, which oversees defense, international affairs and communications and information technology, would result in nothing but Rp 3.1 billion (US$337,900) in state budget spending.

Association representative Sugih Hartono read a list of demands at a meeting that was held at the Indonesian Embassy in Berlin and that was attended by embassy and Indonesian consulate general officials, House commission members and their family members and association members.

The House delegation, led by Democratic Party politician Hayono Isman, included Tantowi Yahya and Muhammad Rusman of the Golkar Party, Venna Melinda and Nurhayati Ali Assegaf of the Democratic Party and Tri Tamtomo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

“We are asking that the people’s representatives be transparent and publish details of their foreign trips, complete with the necessary funds, on the House of Representatives’ official website at least one month before departure,” Sugih said.

“We are asking them not to lavishly spend our money flying thousands of kilometers only for a hearing with the embassy’s officials,” Sugih said.

“You can use the technology of teleconferencing while in Indonesia.”

Association members left the meeting room after the reading of the statement, and uploaded a video of the meeting on www.youtube.com on Wednesday.