TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The House of Representatives (DPR) is planning to build apartments for all of its members in the Parliamentary Complex, Senayan. DPR Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah said that the building that will be constructed in former Taman Ria Senayan area has been included in the design of the parliamentary complex revamp. “The package may start [to be built] in 2018,” he said yesterday, August 10.
Fahri said that the DPR has planned the development since 2015, adding that the plan is part of the priority programs. The budget was agreed at Rp1.6 trillion using the multi-year funding option. Last year, the House received construction improvement fund around Rp564 billion. “Some are being used for the master plan study and some are being used for development,” he said.
The funds to build apartments for house members and parliamentary complex revamp, Fahri said, are included in the proposals for the 2018 House budget. The DPR since April has proposed a budget of Rp7.25 trillion or a 70 percent increase from last year’s budget. According to Fahri, the government has only approved Rp5.7 trillion. (Koran Tempo, August 10).
The plan to build apartments arises as house members feel that their official residences in Kalibata are too far away from Senayan. The distance is around eight kilometers.
The DPR Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon added that increased budget and provision for parliamentary complex revamp in 2018 budget are normal. He said that the development plan has been discussed by House members on several occasions. He went on to say that the DPR will build apartments according to the number of House members.
Met at the State Palace yesterday, President Joko Widodo said he had not heard of the plan to increase the House budget and develop apartments. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said that proposals for new government spending will be discussed once the financial note is being studied by the President. “We’ll see,” Sri said.
DPR Household Committee chairman Anton Sihombing has confirmed that the deliberations on the budget proposal are awaiting the financial note delivery from the President on August 16.
HUSSEIN ABRI DONGORAN | AHMAD FAIZ | NINIS CHAIRUNNISA | AGUNG SEDAYU
