Another council farce<\/p>\n
Much good wisdom has been voiced here in the capital city but
\nnothing is wiser than the counsel advising Jakartans not to
\nexpect any social sensitivity from members of City Council,
\nbecause they are lacking in it, pathologically. On the other
\nhand, their sense of indifference toward public suffering --
\nwhich includes those displaced by the recent city-led forced
\nevictions -- has a habit of raising its ugly head from time to
\ntime.<\/p>\n
City Council members are often called \"honorable councillors\"
\n-- although more often than not they like to get involved in not-
\nso-honorable deeds. Last year, for example, they went on a series
\nof overseas trips, which they called \"comparative studies\", that
\nhad nothing to do with the interests of the people they were
\nsupposed to represent.<\/p>\n
But this statement is actually not the whole truth, because
\nthe representatives were selected by their respective political
\nparties, which won seats in the general election, instead of
\nbeing directly voted in by the electorate. Anyway, that is the
\npolitical system here.<\/p>\n
Last year's foreign trips provoked angry reactions from many
\nparties, including the City and Urban Society Division of the
\nLegal Aid Institute, and Indonesian Corruption Watch. They
\nprotested against what they called the councillors'
\nthoughtlessness and arrogance. The groups said that the money
\nwasted on overseas travel could have been much better spent on
\npublic welfare.<\/p>\n
Although the criticism was rejected by some honorable
\ncouncillors, one thing was undeniable: The people who were
\nrepresenting one of the poorest countries in the world were
\naccommodated in five-star hotels and visited China, where they
\nenjoyed Peking duck and a lavish acrobatic show. These were
\nobviously important activities for them.<\/p>\n
Last week, a piece of news told us that some 85 old
\ncouncillors, who commonly share an outdated mentality, would
\nbegin a two-day meeting on Wednesday with members of the city
\nexecutive at the luxurious Wisma Jayaraya complex in Puncak, some
\n60 kilometers south of here, to discuss the draft 2002 city
\nbudget, which has been proposed to balance at Rp 8.9 trillion.<\/p>\n
To hold such a serious meeting the honorable councillors seem
\nbadly in need of a cozy atmosphere, undisturbed by routine
\ndrills. But the question is why they need such an expensive
\nvenue, which is located in the cool and breezy luxury weekend
\nresort? The decision might be meant to tell the public that they
\nare of a different class.<\/p>\n
But, alas, it is purely to laugh at the impoverished citizens,
\nnotably those displaced by the recent city-led forced evictions.
\nIf that is not the case, why don't the honorable councillors hold
\ntheir meeting at the city-owned three-star Hotel Cempaka in
\nCentral Jakarta, which would be less costly and more practical?<\/p>\n
Perhaps, because last year they also held the same meeting at
\nthe same resort, which ended without any serious disturbances,
\ndespite public protests? There were, in fact, protests by many
\ngroups of people if they had been bothered to switch on their
\nears and been ready to listen. But the city authorities and those
\nwho call themselves public representatives with the same rotten
\nmentality tend to turn a deaf ear. To quote an Arabic proverb,
\nthe caravan kept passing while the dogs barked.<\/p>\n
They also seem to have a talent of reviving the memories of
\nthe bad old days when dictator Soeharto did not care to teach his
\nsupporters to look after the poorest sector of society. And the
\ncouncillors have so far no discernible, definable program of
\nreform. The term reformasi is no more than a \"hurrah word\",
\nendlessly repeated but denoting little of substance. The reason
\nbehind this seems to be the lack of patriotism. They are
\npoliticians with a taste for outrageous egotism. They are more
\npolitical buffoons than genuine public representatives. By going
\nabroad and discussing budget proposals at a weekend resort, the
\nreformists who share the old mentality have tried to turn their
\nfantasies into reality.<\/p>\n
If nobody stops this habit soon, we are afraid that
\ncouncillors will soon ask for a five-star hotel in Puncak full of
\nGothic restaurants, antique beds, gold-plated showers and taps,
\nwith the justification that it is simply a way of breaking the
\nmonotony at home.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/another-council-farce-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}