Disadvantaged citizens demand budget revision<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): More than 1,500 disadvantaged people, including
\nhundreds of pedicab drivers, staged a rally in front of the City
\nCouncil on Monday, demanding that it revise the 2001 City Budget
\nwhich was considered extravagant and neglectful of the people's
\nreal needs.<\/p>\n
Organized by the Non-governmental Organizations' Coalition for
\nBudget Transparency (KOTA), hundreds arrived in pedicabs from
\nfive mayoralties causing heavy traffic congestion on Jl. Kebon
\nSirih, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The group's representatives, including Wardah Hafidz of the
\nUrban Poor Consortium (UPC) and Zoemrotin K. Susilo of the
\nIndonesian Consumer Institute Foundation (YLKI), were received by
\nsix councillors from the Council's Commission C for budgetary
\naffairs.<\/p>\n
In pressing their demands, the group even \"detained\" the
\ncouncillors, asking them to approve a revision.<\/p>\n
Commission C chairman Amarullah Asbah agreed but maintained
\nthat the council could only start to review the budget in April.<\/p>\n
\"The council leadership will meet tomorrow, we will convey
\nyour demands to them,\" Amarullah of the Golkar Party said.<\/p>\n
The city budget appropriation hit the headlines when the city
\npurchased 55 sedans at a total cost of Rp 5.5 billion
\n(US$550,000) last month for councillors despite the fact that
\nthey already each received a subsidy of Rp 75 million for the
\npurchase of vehicles.<\/p>\n
During a dialog with the councillors, Zoemrotin burst into
\ntears upon hearing the statement by councillor Gafar Malik that
\nit was acceptable for the councillors to receive the Hyundai
\nsedans.<\/p>\n
\"The cost of purchasing the sedans was less than one percent
\nof the remainder of the 2000 City Budget. It's for all of us,\"
\nGafar of the Indonesian Military (TNI)\/Police faction, claimed.<\/p>\n
Zoemrotin regretted the councillor's statement, saying that
\nthe councillors had no sensitivity and no sense of crisis whilst
\npeople in the city had to struggle everyday with public
\ntransportation.<\/p>\n
\"The council should have made it a priority to improve public
\ntransportation, instead of purchasing the sedans for the
\ncouncillors,\" she said in tears.<\/p>\n
KOTA demanded the council complete the revision of the 2001
\nbudget by April.<\/p>\n
\"If the budget is not revised by April, we will campaign and
\nurge people not to pay property or vehicle taxes,\" Zoemrotin
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Difficult<\/p>\n
But Councillor Amarullah told reporters that the demand would
\nbe difficult to meet as the budget had been adopted in accordance
\nwith the law.<\/p>\n
KOTA took the view that the city budget which amounted Rp 7.49
\ntrillion was unbalanced since Rp 5 trillion or 67 percent of it
\nwas allocated for routine expenditure while the remainder was for
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
It questioned several duplications on the budget, such as the
\ncollection of property taxes which was specified twice (Rp 62
\nbillion and Rp 5 billion) and the cost of civilian security
\nguards (Rp 1 billion and 11 million).<\/p>\n
There was also question marks concerning the Governor's
\nallowance for clothing (Rp 40 million), health (Rp 78 million),
\nofficial residence maintenance (Rp 480 million) and
\ntransportation (Rp 175 million).<\/p>\n
The group regretted the small amounts allocated in the budget
\nfor poor people, such as nutrition improvement which amounted to
\njust Rp 925 million, disease prevention Rp 5.6 billion, poverty
\nalleviation Rp 650 million and social rehabilitation Rp 1.43
\nbillion. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/disadvantaged-citizens-demand-budget-revision-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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