Dekel: Grassroot democracy or job opportunity?<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Members of Dewan Kelurahan -- or Dekel (subdistrict
\nlegislative councils) -- are often described as people who are
\nconcerned more about their salary and allowances than in
\ncontributing their thoughts towards the improvement of their
\nsubdistricts.<\/p>\n
Recently, for instance, dozens of Dekel members from North
\nJakarta visited the City Council and asked that their monthly
\nsalary of Rp 500,000 (US$50), paid for by the city budget, not
\nhave a 15 percent income tax deduction.<\/p>\n
They also demanded an official uniform (one of them creatively
\nsuggested a black safari suit) and special pins to make them look
\nlike city councillors.<\/p>\n
In addition to the monthly salary, the members also receive
\nother perks, such as meeting allowance, which amounts to Rp 1.2
\nmillion a month.<\/p>\n
Since the bylaw No. 5\/2000 on the establishment of the Dekel
\nwas passed into law, the lowest-level council members have been
\nbombarded with criticism.<\/p>\n
All the suspicion was based on the background and recruitment
\nprocess of the members.<\/p>\n
Many, for instance, were reportedly unemployed people in their
\nrespective neighborhood units. In slum subdistricts, such as
\nPetamburan in Central Jakarta and Menteng Dalam in South Jakarta,
\nit was not easy to find candidates for the Dekel.<\/p>\n
In the subdistricts, the candidates were even obliged to
\ncampaign on their missions and visions in order to be re-elected.
\nA competitive nuance was very clear in the election.<\/p>\n
During their campaigns, they pledged that they would donate
\ntheir salaries and allowances to their neighborhoods. But many
\ndoubted their promises.<\/p>\n
To beat their opponents, some candidates often revealed that
\nthe other candidates failed to finish junior high school, a basic
\nrequirement for their membership.<\/p>\n
But in several posh residential areas, like Pondok Indah in
\nSouth Jakarta or Menteng in Central Jakarta where the residents
\nare mostly company executives or working people, not many of them
\nhave been willing to join the subdistrict councils.<\/p>\n
According to the bylaw, the community chief could appoint a
\nresident to be a Dekel member if an election cannot be held. So
\nthe chief would appoint people who have unclear job or are
\nunemployed.<\/p>\n
Besides exploitation by the unemployed, the Dekel councils are
\nalso believed to be \"used\" by cadres of political parties at the
\ngrassroots level for similar reasons.<\/p>\n
It is common knowledge that members of political parties at
\nthe grassroots level are not paid by the parties. Some of them
\nare unemployed.<\/p>\n
So far, there has not been a single initiative proposed by the
\nDekel members.<\/p>\n
Dekel, which was called Lembaga Musyawarah Desa or LMD
\n(Subdistrict Consultative Body) in the past, is hoping to
\nencourage people's participation in and the practice of democracy
\nin development process in their respective areas.<\/p>\n
In the past, LMD was chaired by a subdistrict chief who is
\nalso a civil servant, and functioned as if it was a stamp for the
\nadministration. The body members were often the wives and\/or
\nrelatives of the subdistrict chief.<\/p>\n
The winds of reform, which blew strongly through Indonesia
\nwith the downfall of former president Soeharto in 1998, bolstered
\nthe spirit of freedom.<\/p>\n
According to former State Minister for Regional Autonomy Ryaas
\nRasyid, the establishment of the Dekel was aimed at creating
\ndemocracy at the grassroots level.<\/p>\n
\"The establishment of Dekel is important, so democracy does
\nnot belong to the political elite,\" Ryaas, who played a key role
\nin the drafting of Law No. 22\/1999 on regional autonomy, once
\nsaid during a seminar at City Hall.<\/p>\n
So, the goal was clearly mentioned in the Bylaw no. 5\/200 on
\nsubdistrict council.<\/p>\n
Article 2 of the Bylaw specifies that the establishment of the
\nsubdistrict council be aimed at forging a democratic and
\ntransparent subdistrict administration oriented towards harmony,
\nthe empowerment of people and public service.<\/p>\n
Of course, this goal is not enough if the body is not equipped
\nwith any real authority.<\/p>\n
According to the Bylaw, the Dekel members have only \"a
\nconsultative duty,\" such as suggesting to the subdistrict chief
\non the improvement of the administration. Other duties might
\nbenefit the subdistrict chief, such as explaining the subdistrict
\npolicies to the public.<\/p>\n
The subdistrict council was then feared to become only a
\nrubber stamp for the policies made by the subdistrict, since the
\nbylaw has given no authority to arrange the policy.<\/p>\n
The subdistrict council has no authority to \"impeach\" or
\nsuggest that the governor impeach a subdistrict chief who is
\nfound in violation of policy.<\/p>\n
It's also still unclear what kind of guidelines and
\nsuggestions could even be made by the council members.<\/p>\n
The policy of a subdistrict was included in a policy of a
\nmayoralty, which is decided by the city administration and
\napproved by the city council.<\/p>\n
So what kind of supervision and change could the Dekel members
\nmake? Indeed, it is a question difficult to answer.<\/p>\n
InBox:<\/p>\n
How a resident could be elected as Dekel member according to
\nArticle 5 of the Bylaw:<\/p>\n
1. A member should be at least 21 years old.
\n2. He or she should at least be a junior high school graduate.
\n3. He or she should not be a neighborhood or community chief.
\n4. He or she should be a public figure who is living in the<\/p>\n
neighborhood for at least three years.
\n5. The resident, if he\/she is a member of a political party, does<\/p>\n
not represent the party.<\/p>\n
The election process of Dekel members:<\/p>\n
1. Two-thirds of residents in a Rukun Tetangga or (neighborhood
\nunit) choose a candidate to be proposed to a Rukun Warga or RW
\n(Community Unit).
\n2. Community unit chief leads a session among candidates to elect
\na candidate for the Dekel.
\n3. If the session fails to elect a candidate, then the residents
\nin the community unit could choose a candidate in an election.
\n4. The community unit chief could appoint a Dekel member to
\nrepresent the unit, if the election cannot be held for
\noutstanding reasons, such as the lack of a candidate.<\/p>",
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