There was a lot of fanfare when Sigit Purnomo Said, who is more popularly known by his stage name Pasha and as the lead singer of the pop rock band Ungu (one of those mainstream bands that plays all that lovey-dovey crap), was appointed as the deputy mayor of the city of Palu, Central Sulawesi in 2016, mainly because of how young he is (37) and his celebrity status.
Now Pasha finds himself in hot water after being accused of a serious act of corruption by the Palu City Council (DPRD), which, if it turns out to be true, could spell the end of his young political career.
Yesterday, Palu Councilman Ridwan H Basatu, who was speaking on behalf of the DPRD, accused the city administration of allocating funds from the city’s 2017 Regional Budget (APBD) to pay Pasha’s rent on a Rp 1 billion on a house in an affluent neighborhood of the city.
Ridwan said the city administration did not initially admit the existence of the budget allocation, but the DPRD later found discrepancies in the APBD.
“We were once invited for a meal by the city administration to discuss the matter [of funds being allocated to pay for Pasha’s rent], but we refused. They have lied to us because they said there was no such allocation of funds,” Ridwan said yesterday, as quoted by Kompas.
Ridwan added that Pasha renting a house is unnecessary to begin with, especially if it’s being paid for by taxpayers, as high-ranking government officials like Pasha get the privilege of staying in a state-funded official residence.
Pasha defended himself from the allegations, saying that they were false and that he is currently renting a house for Rp 60 million per month, which he is paying for out of his own pocket.
“That information is ridiculous. What kind of rent is Rp 1 billion? If they want to inform the people, the information must be accurate,” he said to reporters.
Pasha added that he’s not living at the deputy mayor’s official residence because it’s currently housing the city’s Agricultural Agency head. He said he regrets that the DPRD did not clarify their worries with him first before going to tell the public through the media.
Pasha has made the news for the wrong reasons on several occasions as deputy mayor before. In one instance, he allegedly belittled a journalist who was seeking to interview him by saying, “I am now a government official, not a celebrity anymore. You’re just a stringer.” He was also photographed smoking during an official event, for which he later apologized for.
