Late budget approval delays projects<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
All projects planned by the city administration this year will
\nstart late as the approval of the 2003 budget by the City Council
\nwill likely come late.<\/p>\n
According to the schedule of the budget meetings, which was
\nmade available on Wednesday, Governor Sutiyoso is scheduled to
\nofficially submit the budget to the council and give his
\nintroductory speech during a plenary session on Monday.<\/p>\n
The council is scheduled to approve the budget by the end of
\nthis month, but it is doubtful that they will be able do so on
\ntime due to the volume of material for discussion. The budget
\ndocument consists of 14 bound documents.<\/p>\n
In past years, the council needed a month to a month and a
\nhalf to discuss the budget before the council approved it. Last
\nyear's budget was approved on Jan. 31, after discussions lasting
\nmore than one month.<\/p>\n
The city has proposed Rp 11.06 trillion for this year's
\nbudget, more than the 2002 budget which amounted to Rp 10.6
\ntrillion, even though the administration failed to spend Rp 1.2
\ntrillion from last year's budget.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso earlier admitted a possible delay in the 2003
\nbudget's approval this year, saying that it might also affect
\ncity projects.<\/p>\n
\"What can we do? We have submitted the budget to the council (
\nin mid December). Now it depends on the council to discuss it,\"
\nthe governor asserted.<\/p>\n
Many councillors argued the budget could not be discussed
\nimmediately since they should discuss first the Strategic City
\nPlanning and the City Development Planning. The two plans along
\nwith the budget are be approved as bylaws.<\/p>\n
As a result of the late budget approval, tenders to be
\nsubmitted for projects will probably be late. The city
\nadministration will use the remainder of last year's budget for
\nroutine expenditure.<\/p>\n
However, sources said that the late budget approval was caused
\nby a tug of war between the interests of city officials and
\ncouncillors.<\/p>\n
The officials want their projects to be given priority while
\nthe councillors who often act as brokers, want certain
\nbusinessmen to handle certain projects.<\/p>\n
According to the schedule, after Sutiyoso's budget speech on
\nMonday, the city's 11 factions will give their general views on
\nthe budget proposal on Thursday.<\/p>\n
On Jan. 20, Sutiyoso will respond on the factions' views and
\ncriticisms of the budget proposal.<\/p>\n
On Jan. 21 and Jan 22, the city councillors who are grouped in
\nfive commissions, will discuss the budget with city officials at
\ncity-owned resort Wisma Jaya Raya in the mountainous Puncak area,
\nWest Java.<\/p>\n
In the past years, during the Puncak meetings, several
\nbusinessmen were seen approaching councillors and officials, to
\nfacilitate their planned projects.<\/p>\n
The council's five commissions are then scheduled to deliver
\ntheir report on Jan. 24 in a council plenary session.<\/p>\n
On Jan. 25 and Jan. 25, the commissions' reports will be
\ndiscussed by a team consisting of councillors and city officials,
\nusually at city-owned Hotel Horison in Ancol, North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
On Jan. 31, the council's factions are scheduled to deliver
\ntheir final stance on the budget proposal.<\/p>\n
In past years, the factions have accepted the budget without
\nsignificant changes although they may have earlier voiced
\ncriticism of the budget or even stated that they would reject it.<\/p>\n
Many believe the councillors readiness to accept the budget is
\ndue to their poor understanding of how the budget is calculated.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/late-budget-approval-delays-projects-1447893297",
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