All politics is local<\/p>\n
All politics is local, the late speaker of the U.S. House of
\nRepresentatives Tip O'Neil once said. This maxim applies, or
\nshould apply, equally in a new democratic Indonesia as it has for
\na long time in O'Neil's homeland which has more than two
\ncenturies of democratic tradition. The world may have turned into
\none big global community, but at the end of the day, what matters
\nto most of us is what happens within our neighborhood.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, it is sad to note that the ongoing
\nelections of the representatives of the newly established dewan
\nkelurahan (subdistrict councils) in Jakarta have received scant
\npublicity by the local media (including yours truly). Here is an
\nelection that no resident can afford to be indifferent about, for
\nthe council is the one forum where people can really have a say
\nand influence what happens in their own neighborhood.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta city administration last year enacted Bylaw No. 5
\nwhich calls for the establishment of subdistrict councils. The
\ngoal is to give communities a greater say, or at least some
\ninfluence, over development in their own neighborhoods. The
\ncouncils, comprising representatives elected by the community,
\nwill act as a bridge between people and the subdistrict offices,
\nwhich are the lowest level of the city administration. According
\nto the bylaw, the council, elected on a five-yearly basis,
\nrepresents the aspirations of the community and helps explain
\npublic policies to the community.<\/p>\n
In the past week, the 265 subdistrict offices in Jakarta have
\nbeen busy looking for candidates to sit in these new councils,
\nwhich the city administration had expected to be formed by the
\nend of the month. But with such short notice, many of the
\nneighborhood units have so far failed to come up with any
\ncandidates. And because of the little publicity that such a
\ndemocratic process at grassroots level is getting from the
\ncapital's media, the election and selection process has escaped
\nthe attention of most residents.<\/p>\n
The lack of attention also reflects growing public apathy
\ntoward political processes in this country. Who can blame them?
\nLooking at the endless bickering among the nation's political
\nleaders, many people have been put off by political developments
\nin this country, certainly at the national level.<\/p>\n
The election of subdistrict councils however presents a golden
\nopportunity for residents of Jakarta to make a difference, not
\nabout national politics, but more about what happens in their own
\nimmediate neighborhood. Here is a forum through which residents
\ncan press their demands for better services from their local
\nadministrations, to make their neighborhood safer, cleaner and
\nessentially a better place to live in.<\/p>\n
Whether or not this was the original intention, the bylaw
\nmarks the first step to develop democracy at the grassroots
\nlevel. Sure there are shortcomings in the regulations and their
\nimplementation, but they are all part of the long learning curve
\nrequired when practicing democracy.<\/p>\n
Some subdistrict chiefs, in their efforts to meet the Jan. 31
\ndeadline to establish the councils, have taken the short cut of
\nselecting representatives, bypassing credible election processes.
\nOther subdistrict chiefs, as reported by the Jakarta City
\nCouncil, have been making house calls seeking endorsement for
\nrepresentatives they have picked personally. Thankfully, the city
\nadministration has now removed the deadline and let the
\nneighborhood units take their time in forming the councils.<\/p>\n
Bylaw No. 5 falls short of truly empowering the councils.
\nThese councils are essentially watchdogs without teeth. They can
\nmonitor activities of the subdistrict offices but cannot remove
\nor reprimand subdistrict chiefs. To this day, there is still the
\nstrong impression that subdistrict offices are set up to
\nrepresent the rulers and not to serve the community. Some day,
\nsoon, with the establishment of subdistrict councils, the
\nsubdistrict administration should become subservient to the
\ncommunity's needs.<\/p>\n
The establishment of the new councils is a step in the right
\ndirection in giving power back to the community. It would be a
\nsad tragedy if residents of Jakarta remain indifferent and fail
\nto participate in an election which is important to their most
\nimmediate interests: their neighborhood.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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