City slammed for ignoring public on making budget<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have criticized the
\nJakarta City Administration for attempts to avoid public
\nparticipation and transparency in its budget process, triggering
\nsuspicion that city officials and councillors get more than the
\npublic.<\/p>\n
The administration has proposed it allocate nearly Rp 1
\nbillion (US$96,000) of its 2002 City Budget on a wardrobe
\nallowance for the governor and city councillors.<\/p>\n
The Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) said there was not enough time
\nfor the public to criticize the Rp 8.8 trillion (US$880 million)
\nbudget as it would be approved by the city council by the end of
\nnext month.<\/p>\n
The UPC said on Thursday it would ask the Jakarta
\nAdministrative Court to delay approval of the budget.<\/p>\n
\"We demand the delay until the public can have their say on
\nthe budget,\" UPC's community coordinator Edy Suaedy said.<\/p>\n
However, Governor Sutiyoso and council chairman Edy Waluyo
\ndenied they had discussed the budget secretly, saying that public
\nparticipation would be needed.<\/p>\n
\"We would make the budget very transparent for the public,\"
\nSutiyoso told reporters at City Hall, adding that spending
\nfigures in the budget were only proposed and could still be
\nchanged depending on public feedback.<\/p>\n
The budget allocates Rp 65 million and Rp 917 million for an
\nofficial wardrobe allowances for the governor and the 85 city
\ncouncillors respectively.<\/p>\n
It also allocates Rp 176 billion for housing and low-cost
\napartment development, Rp 94 billion for social welfare affairs,
\nRp 235 billion for health, Rp 353 billion for education and Rp 65
\nbillion for medium and small-scale enterprises.<\/p>\n
Some Rp 5.63 trillion or about 60 percent of the Rp 8.8
\ntrillion budget would be used for routine expenditure while the
\nremaining Rp 3.3 trillion was tagged for development spending.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the council's budgetary commission chairwoman
\nAnna Rudhiantina said the routine expenditure would reach about
\nRp 3.34 trillion while public spending would reach Rp 5.5
\ntrillion.<\/p>\n
Anna's assumption was made if the budget was based on the new
\nbylaw 8\/2001 relating to financial principles which the next
\nbudget would not use.<\/p>\n
The UPC and other NGOs sued the administration and the Jakarta
\nCity Council this year for paying out a small portion of that
\npledged to disadvantaged people in 2001's Rp 8.1 trillion budget.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit was rejected by the Central Jakarta District Court
\nwho ruled the case should be handled by the administrative court.<\/p>\n
Activists alleged the funds allocated to disadvantaged people
\nnever reached its budgeted target.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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