Tangerang has yet to see autonomy law implemented<\/p>\n
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang, Banten<\/p>\n
Regional autonomy, which has technically been a part of the law
\nsince 2000, has yet to bear fruit in Tangerang municipality which
\nwill celebrate its 10th anniversary on Feb. 28.<\/p>\n
The Law No. 22\/1999 on regional autonomy addresses the
\nimportance of establishing good local governance, which will in
\nturn improve the people's welfare in respective regions and
\nprovide better transparency as well as better services to the
\npublic.<\/p>\n
But under the leadership of Mayor M. Thamrin, the Tangerang
\nmunicipality has failed to show much achievement as required in
\nthe law.<\/p>\n
Ibnu Jandi, director of the Institute for Public Policy
\nAssessment (LKP), a local watchdog dealing with the assessment of
\nthe administration's performance, said Thamrin, the mayor since
\n1998, had failed to fulfill the objectives on the implementation
\nof regional autonomy.<\/p>\n
\"Did the administration repair damaged roads, build permanent
\nroad access into villages across the municipality, renovate
\ndamaged school buildings, repair street lights, improve
\ntraditional markets, bus terminals, slum villages, parks or
\ntackle traffic chaos? I see no evidence,\" he said.<\/p>\n
After researching the allocations of the administration's 2002
\nannual budget, Jandi claimed he had found that more than Rp 50
\nbillion (US$5.5 million) allocated for 14 development projects in
\nthe municipality had been misused and that the projects were not
\ncompleted. The 2002 budget was set at Rp 326 billion.<\/p>\n
\"Many budgeted programs were not completed, nor accounted for.
\nAnd some of them had even been budgeted twice under routine
\nexpenses,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Jandi cited the Rp 1.4 billion funds for an urban innovation
\nmanagement project, another Rp 100 million for a bylaw
\ndissemination program, Rp 600 million just for the meetings on
\nthe city's spatial plan, Rp 200 million for the establishment of
\na regional development program (Properda), another Rp 200 million
\nfor the administration's development control, Rp 50 million for
\nmonitoring activities, another Rp 50 million for regional
\ndevelopment planning, Rp 150 million for public facility
\ndevelopment projects and Rp 500 million for the support of
\npolitical parties.<\/p>\n
In addition to allocating Rp 350 million for the purchase of
\nequipment for the city's tap water company (PDAM), the
\nadministration also double-allocated a fund worth Rp 224.2
\nmillion to purchase furniture for PDAM, he said.<\/p>\n
The purchase of furniture should have only been budgeted under
\nthe routine expenses of the company, but it was also placed under
\ndevelopment expenses.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, some 13 districts in the municipality have
\ncomplained that, as of today, there had been no delegation of
\nauthority from the mayoralty administration to them as required
\nby the regional autonomy law.<\/p>\n
All districts believed that the absence of delegated authority
\nfrom the municipal administration to district administrations was
\nbased on the municipal administration's fear that districts were
\nincapable of carrying out the delegated functions to serve the
\npublic, such as issuing business and building permits or
\nsupervising development projects.<\/p>\n
Tony Wismantoro of the Tangerang Government Watch (TGW),
\nhowever, said the failure should not be entirely blamed on
\nthe administration alone.<\/p>\n
\"The municipal legislative council also contributed to the
\nfailure. It has approved the proposed budget without involving
\nlocal residents, particularly public figures, experts,
\nprofessionals and non-governmental organizations.\"<\/p>\n
Both Jandi and Tony also criticized the construction of an
\nadministrative office center at a budgeted price of Rp 68
\nbillion.<\/p>\n
The office center, along with the new Grand Mosque and the
\nCikokol flyover, will be officially inaugurated during the
\nmunicipality's 10th anniversary on Feb. 28.<\/p>",
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