Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Ignoring public criticism, Bandarlampung and West Lampung councillors are moving ahead with proposals to give themselves each a Rp 60 million (US$6,451) housing allowance in their 2006 budgets.

The proposed amount is more than twice the amount allocated for housing allowances in the 2005 budgets. "The increase is unfair. Just think, while councillors are provided with rent money, many street children receive no attention and are subject to arrest," the executive director of the Anticorruption Committee in Lampung, Maya Ferlianty, said Tuesday.

In Bandarlampung's 2005 budget, the council speaker was given a Rp 30 million housing allowance for the year, with Rp 27.5 million allotted for the two deputy speakers. The council's 40 members received Rp 25 million each.

In the proposed 2006 budget, the council speaker would be giving a Rp 60 million housing allowance, with Rp 57 million for each deputy and Rp 54 million for each councillor.

Maya said this "unfair budget" was of great concern to people throughout Lampung province. People, she claimed, believe that the councillors only think about themselves. "Before Idul Fitri, they asked for another bonus. Now they want to set aside even more money for housing." She said even large, luxury houses in Bandarlampung did not cost that much. "For Rp 60 million, you could rent a house with 20 rooms," she said.

The proposal, she said, also came at a bad time, when many people could not afford to buy rice. "The price of rice has reached more than Rp 5,000 per kilogram, but the administration has hardly taken any notice," Maya said.

A political observer from Lampung University, Ari Darmastuti, said the highest yearly rent for a luxury house in Bandarlampung was Rp 30 million, at most. "The (housing allowance) is not proper and too much. Not only is the amount unrealistic, the existence of such an allowance itself is unrealistic since all of the councillors already have houses," Ari said.

The council's budget committee head, Azwar Yakub, said he saw nothing wrong with the housing allowance, despite the current economic conditions. The decision, he said, was consistent with a 2005 government regulation, which states that when the administration cannot provide official houses for councillors they will be given a housing allowance.

The budget committee last week cut several unnecessary budget items, including Rp 91 million to remodel the lavatories in the council building, but left the housing allowance untouched.

In West Lampung, a proposed housing allowance also has been harshly criticized by residents and activists. Ali Rukman, who chairs the Kawokh Bungkok non-governmental organization, said the regency remained isolated and poor, with many children suffering from malnutrition.

"There's no way rent on a house could reach Rp 60 million in this isolated regency. The absolute highest rent is Rp 5 million. Besides, the councillors already own houses and there is just no need for them to be given an exorbitant amount to rent houses," Ali told The Jakarta Post by phone. "As a resident, I can't accept the amount of the housing allowance...," he said.