Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Apparently wishing to prove their commitment to leading modest lifestyles, all four leaders of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) said on Wednesday that they would refuse the Volvo cars to which they were entitled.
They also said that they would eschew staying in royal suites in the Mulia Hotel during the Assembly's plenary session scheduled for October 19 and October 20, saying they wanted standard rooms instead.
"The message is clear, we want to reduce state expenditure. We hope the example we are setting will be followed by other state officials," Assembly Speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) told the press here.
He said he had told the Assembly secretariat to convey the message to the State Secretariat, the institution that finances the purchase of official cars for state officials.
Hidayat was accompanied by his three deputies, AM Fatwa of the National Mandate Party (PAN), and Mooryati Soedibyo and M. Aksa Mahmud of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).
By tradition, senior state officials, including the House speaker and deputy speakers, Assembly speaker and deputy speakers, and Cabinet ministers are given Volvo cars as their official vehicles. The speaker of the newly-established DPD was also in line for a Volvo. Volvo cars cost between Rp 378.5 million and Rp 950 million each, depending on the type.
Fatwa, who is the House deputy speaker for the 1999-2004 period, was Wednesday using a Volvo S-90 series car. He promised, however, that he would soon return the official car to its garage.
Hidayat said the cost-saving moves were necessary to reduce the burden on the state budget. Although the Assembly leaders said they would be willing to accept other, cheaper cars, they did not say what their preferred cars were. "The most important thing is that the official cars do not give the impression that the Assembly leaders are living in luxury," he said.
He said the move would also counter speculation that the plenary session to elect Assembly leaders from October 1 through October 6 had to be extended due to rivalry among the candidates – all anxious to get their hands on state facilities.
Aksa Mahmud, meanwhile, acknowledged that the royal suites were equipped with saunas. "It's excessive. All we need are rooms for sleeping and discussions. We only need standard rooms that cost Rp 400,000," he said.
The Hotel Mulia charges US$370, or around Rp 3.33 million per night, for its royal suites. "We will be staying at the hotel for work, not for leisure and saunas. We have to end all this luxury," said Mooryati, the owner of cosmetics producer PT Mustika Ratu.
Commenting on public suspicions that the move was a political one designed to ensure his reelection in the 2009 election, Hidayat said that he was only fulfilling the aspirations of the people, who want their leaders to have a sense of crisis. "I've never thought about campaigning [for 2009]. My concern is that the people need serious and committed leaders," Hidayat added.
Aksa and Fatwa said that they hoped their moves would be followed by other state institutions, including state enterprises.