August 13, 2024
JAKARTA – Critics have lambasted the government for what they deem as excessive spending on this year’s Independence Day festivities in both Jakarta and Nusantara, the country’s future capital under construction in East Kalimantan.
The ballooning budget has sparked public outrage, with many questioning the priorities of an administration facing economic headwinds.
Chico Hakim, a spokesperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), called the celebration’s expanded budget “wasteful”, especially in view of the growing financial struggles hundreds of millions of people faced, and urged the government to be more prudent with taxpayers’ money.
“It’s a waste. [It is] A display of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s insensitivity as his term ends [amid] growing financial struggles faced by the public, such as mass layoffs, rising prices of basic commodities and the soaring cost of education,” Chico said on Saturday, as quoted by Media Indonesia.
Lawmaker Guspardi Gaus of the National Mandate Party (PAN) echoed Chico’s sentiment, demanding transparency about public expenditure on planned celebrations in the future capital to mark the country’s 79th Independence Day.
“The public might see the government as being out of touch with the economic hardship [they face], especially regarding the government renting around 1,000 luxury cars and hundreds of hotel rooms for guests attending the celebrations in Nusantara,” Guspardi, who is also a member of House of Representatives Commission II overseeing home affairs, said on Sunday, as quoted by CNBC Indonesia.
President Jokowi downplayed the event budget, saying the increase was “justifiable” since the Independence Day festivities would be held in two cities this year.
“It’s a transition period, so the celebration will be conducted in two places. There’s no leap [in spending]. I think it’s justifiable, and the budget [comes] from the State Secretariat,” he said on Friday, as quoted by Tempo.co.
State Secretary Pratikno acknowledged that the event budget had been increased, blaming it on the higher costs of booking hotels and buses for guests in Nusantara. He also downplayed concerns over the budget however, saying the increase was “not significant”.
When pressed for details, Pratikno deferred the question to Presidential Secretary and interim Jakarta governor Heru Budi Hartono, who merely echoed the state secretary’s statement. He also said he was unaware of details regarding the budget for Independence Day celebrations in previous years.
According to state-owned news agency Antara, several media reports have cited Damun Kiswanto, the East Kalimantan head of the Association of Regional Car Rental Businesses (Asperda), as saying that the government planned to rent 1,000 luxury cars for VVIPs and state guests invited to the flag raising ceremony in Nusantara.
The State Secretariat has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Asperda to book 1,000 rental cars, the down payment for which the government has paid 50 percent.
The daily rate for these rental cars, some of which must be sourced from outside East Kalimantan due to limited supply in the region, is reportedly around Rp 25 million (US$1,640), an extravagant figure that has drawn widespread public condemnation.
In comparison, a basic search for rental cars on TRAC Astra for 12 hours on Aug. 17 in Jakarta produces a range from Rp 575,000 for a 4-seater Toyota Agya to Rp 1.14 million for a 6-seater Toyota All New Voxy.
When contacted by The Jakarta Post on Friday however, Damun denied making such a statement, saying the reported information was incorrect and that Asperda had not signed any MoU with the State Secretariat.
“What I mentioned is that to meet the needs of 3,000 guests, we would require around 1,000 [vehicles] if we do the math. We have not signed any MoU with the government,” he said.
Damun added that while there had been a surge in rental bookings, he was unaware of the actual number of confirmed bookings and dismissed suggestions that the figure was in the hundreds or thousands.
Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawaty told the Post on Friday that the ministry would be providing 97 buses for transporting guests and participants of the flag raising ceremony in Nusantara.