The plan to procure an official car worth Rp 8.5 billion for the Governor of East Kalimantan, Rudy Mas’ud, has triggered strong public backlash. It raises a question about the invocation of “the dignity of the province” as justification: can such dignity be measured by the price tag and prestige of the vehicle assigned to its high-ranking officials? Or does this reflect yet another instance of self-indulgence, dressed up as an effort to enhance performance? To subscribe please click here
