Profiles of the Jakarta City Council members<\/p>\n
Despite the vote-buying allegations during the election of the
\nJakarta Council speakers, the councillors pledged to work
\ntogether to fight against corruption in the council and to a
\ncreate better, more humane city for the residents. The Jakarta
\nPost's Bambang Nurbianto profiles the 75 councillors.<\/p>\n
Ade Surapriatna
\nSpeaker
\nGolkar Party
\nPlace, date of birth: Jakarta, Nov. 7, 1951
\nLatest education: Undergraduate degree in politics from the 17
\nAgustus 1945 University, Jakarta
\nWealth: Rp 5.79 Billion (US$643,757)<\/p>\n
It must be emphasized here that the City Council speaker is not
\nthe sole decision maker. All decisions must be passed by all
\nmembers.<\/p>\n
I believe I will receive support from all members because we
\nhave a common objective: working for the interests of Jakartans.<\/p>\n
But for that to materialize, we have to be trusted by the
\npublic.<\/p>\n
The people will find us credible when they see how we focus on
\nthe people's interests during the deliberation of the 2005 city
\nbudget, and not in the interest of certain groups or even
\npersonal interests of each councillor.<\/p>\n
Ahmad Heryawan
\nDeputy speaker
\nThe Prosperous Justice Party (PKS)
\nPlace, date of birth: Sukabumi, West Jakarta, June 19, 1966
\nLatest Education: Undergraduate degree on syariah law from the
\nInstitute of Islamic and Arabic Studies (LIPIA), Jakarta
\nWealth: Rp 728 million<\/p>\n
There are many problems that have to be addressed immediately
\nsuch as poverty, education, unemployment, law and order,
\ntransportation, the environment, as well as health and garbage.<\/p>\n
But my main concern is how to give all Jakartans access to
\nfulfill their basic needs. It means there will be no Jakartan who
\nis hungry. And no child will have to drop out of school.<\/p>\n
Therefore, we will push the city administration to allot
\nsignificant funds to alleviate poverty. We'll see to that in the
\n2005 city budget.<\/p>\n
We must also push the administration to create jobs by
\nfacilitating people to run small businesses.<\/p>\n
Another thing is that the administration must be able to send
\nchildren from poor families to school for free. We will encourage
\nthe administration to allocate 20 percent of next year's budget
\nfor education, as mandated by the Constitution.<\/p>\n
Ilal Ferhard
\nDeputy speaker
\nThe Democratic Party
\nPlace, date of birth: Jakarta, Sept. 1, 1971
\nLatest education: American Institute of Management Studies
\nWealth: Rp 970 million<\/p>\n
I never made any promises during the election campaign. But as a
\ncouncillor or as a deputy speaker, I have a commitment to helping
\npeople have a better living.<\/p>\n
There are three problems which need to be addressed: law
\nsupremacy, security and economy.<\/p>\n
As you know, law enforcement and security personnel who do not
\ndiscriminated against certain groups are vital for Jakarta as the
\ncapital city. Foreign investors and tourists want to come here,
\nbut only if there is legal certainty and security.<\/p>\n
We need foreign investors to employ a large number of jobless
\npeople. We should attract as many foreign tourists\/investors as
\npossible to boost economic growth.<\/p>\n
The ultimate goal is to improve the welfare of all Jakartans.<\/p>\n
Another crucial thing that needs to be solved is garbage. The
\nadministration must find a way how to handle over 6,000 tons of
\ngarbage daily.<\/p>\n
Maringan Pangaribuan
\nDeputy speaker
\nThe Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)
\nPlace, date of birth: Medan, Oct. 28, 1954
\nLatest education: Undergraduate degree in economics from the
\nInstitute of Economics (STIE) at Jagakarsa, Jakarta
\nWealth: Rp 2.6 billion<\/p>\n
Encouraging the development of small enterprises must become a
\npriority for the city administration during its five-year term. I
\nthink it is the most reasonable way to create jobs as it is
\nunlikely to expect that we can attract investors to come here in
\nthe near future.<\/p>\n
Together with other councillors, I will push the
\nadministration to formulate a way to facilitate the birth of more
\nnew small enterprises.<\/p>\n
As an example, the city has Bylaw No. 2\/2003 on private
\nmarkets, which obliges property owners in shopping areas to
\nallocate 20 percent of their space for small- and medium-scale
\nenterprises.<\/p>\n
The ruling has not been fully enforced yet because there has
\nbeen strong opposition from the building management association.<\/p>\n
I think, from now on, we have to punish the offenders. If the
\nenforcement of the bylaw is successful, we will be able to create
\na lot of jobs as many new shopping centers are now being
\nconstructed.<\/p>\n
We will also encourage the administration to drop tuition fees
\nfor students of elementary and junior high schools in line with
\nthe nine-year compulsory education policy.<\/p>",
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