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Jet-Setting Lawmakers' Rp 13b 'Junket' Splurge
Anita Rachman | April 19, 2011

Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) activists hold a protest against Indonesian lawmakers Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) activists hold a protest against Indonesian lawmakers' trips abroad. JG Photo/Safir Makki/File
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PeterGriffin
6:58pm Apr 19, 2011

Excuse me but why go to Australia to look at poverty eradication? Actually Australia is the easy one - if you want to eradicate poverty utilise your natural resources, pay good wages, don't be corrupt, don't steal the state's wealth, and have a properly elected ACCOUNTABLE government. And lastly Don't Be Selfish!!!

KneecZar
2:13pm Apr 19, 2011

The corporations the world over have cut travel spending drastically to reduce overhead and resorting to videoconferencing and VOIP technologies. Installing such an elaborate system in the Senayan complex in all buildings with all the bells and whistles will cost far less and only a one time investment.

BrahmaPutra
12:01pm Apr 19, 2011

@ web ed. excellent job on the comments section, can now open multiple tabs without mix up. Thanks

I have one more request, can you do the same for the recent comments on the right as sometimes i lose the thread i was commenting on and at times it is hard to find again, also when not having checked fro a while it is interesting to see what others have commented on. If you could add exactly the same system there it would be great. cheers BP

langfordpeter
11:04am Apr 19, 2011

Ministry of Tourism should capitalise on this. Legislators around the world can come to Indonesia to study how to conjure study trips.

SirAnthonyKnown-Bender
10:03am Apr 19, 2011

"But Priyo said banning overseas trips altogether would only make lawmakers ignorant of conditions abroad."

...just as they are about pretty much everything else.

Despite recent public outrage about their extravagant spending, lawmakers are set to rack up a bill of close to Rp 13 billion ($1.5 million) on overseas “study” trips over the next couple of months, a government watchdog has said.

The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) revealed on Monday that delegations from the House of Representatives’ various commissions were leaving for as many as seven overseas trips during April and May, costing taxpayers an estimated Rp 12.7 billion.

Fitra’s secretary general, Uchok Sky Khadafi, said House Commission VIII, which oversees religious and social affairs, are undertaking two trips to China and Australia from April 17-24 to complete research into – ironically – the poverty bill. The trips to cost Rp 668.7 million and Rp 811.8 million, respectively.

Commission X for education, culture, sports and youth affairs was scheduled to fly to Spain and China from April 24-30 at a cost of Rp 1.3 billion and Rp 668.7 million, respectively, Uchok said.

The House’s Household Affairs Committee (BURT), meanwhile, was planning to go to England and the United States next month, with the trips costing Rp 1.5 billion and Rp 1.9 billion, respectively, he said.

A group from Commission I for security, defence and foreign affairs would also leave for the United States next month, following on the heels of a delegation that recently left for Europe, he added.

The House Secretariat has declined to make public details of the trips, saying it needed at least a week to prepare the data.

“From those countries mentioned, the two favorite places for our lawmakers to visit are the United States and Spain,” Uchok said. “Traveling to those countries will cost you a lot. And just within a month, [two separate groups of] lawmakers are spending taxpayers’ money to go to the same countries.”

He said in order to save money, the House should form joint delegations from commissions sending lawmakers to the same place.

A member of Commission VIII who would not be taking part in the China and Australia trips and spoke on the condition of anonymity said its delegation consisted of 13 lawmakers.

When asked why the commission needed to travel to China and Australia to study poverty, the source said it aimed to look at the poverty-reduction programs in place there and learn how to apply them in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Arwani Thomafi, a BURT member from the United Development Party (PPP), said he would not be taking part in its overseas trips. “I don’t know what the purpose is,” he said.

BURT’s deputy chairman, Refrizal, from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said the US and England trips were to “help it improve its management.”

Deputy House Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, from the Golkar Party, said all trips had been approved by the House leadership.

He said while it was difficult for the House leadership to stop the trips, he promised that it would tighten its regulations. “We will listen to what the public has to say. We will change it, and be more selective in the future.”

But Priyo said banning overseas trips altogether would only make lawmakers ignorant of conditions abroad.
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