Activists want changes to city budget draft

Activists want changes to city budget draft

JAKARTA (JP): Some 50 people, most of them members of the
Urban Poor Consortium, staged a protest in front of the City
Council building on Monday to demand changes to the draft city
budget.

The protesters came to the building in Central Jakarta to
question the proposed Rp 7.49 trillion (US$788.40 million) 2000-
2001 budget.

The proposed budget, a large increase from the current Rp 4.18
trillion budget, fails to meet the needs of the poor, according
to the protesters.

A pedicab driver, Slamet, from Kemayoran, Central Jakarta,
said: "A large part of the (proposed) expenditures seem to be
allotted to the needs of officials rather than the people."

A statement signed by 12 organizations and groups, including
the Jakarta Network of Pedicab Drivers, questioned the need to
increase routine expenditures in the budget by 128.9 percent.

In unveiling the draft budget in November, Governor Sutiyoso
said that given the improved economic condition of Jakarta, he
was optimistic the city could afford the proposed increases.

The statement also mentioned the allotment of Rp 100 million
for the purchase of the governor's residence and Rp 366 million
for the residence of the deputy governor; health care costs of Rp
78 million for the governor; the Rp 40 million for the governor's
uniforms; and the more than Rp 1 billion for the uniforms of city
councillors.

"Have they really run out of uniforms?" an activist asked
during a meeting with councillors later in the day.

Council Speaker Edy Waluyo said the council would likely
announce its decision on the draft budget by mid-January, about a
month later than earlier scheduled. He said councillors had yet
to complete their review of the draft.

"The councillors have agreed the routine expenditures in the
draft city budget (Rp 5.02 trillion) are too large compared to
(the money allotted for) development," Edy said, adding that
several items may be cut from the draft budget.

The activists compared the expenditures in the budget for
officials to those for the public to illustrate how officials "do
not care about real social problems".

A table included with the statement compared the Rp 14.5
billion in allowances for the governor and deputy governor's
households, to the Rp 3.1 billion to increase the nutrition of
infants and pregnant women.

The table compared the costs "for guests", Rp 5.9 billion, to
the funds for neglected children, Rp 1.35 billion.

Incentives for the provincial revenue agency reach Rp 111
billion; funds for disaster relief Rp 1.8 billion.

The protesters also noted the "militaristic" aspects of the
budget, referring to the large amount of funds for public order
operations and raids. Apart from the Rp 90.4 billion allotted for
public order officials, the statement said Rp 12 billion in
incentives were provided for personnel from the Jakarta Police.

A resident of Karang Anyar in West Jakarta, also named Slamet,
said the money would be better spent buying land for squatters.
"That way we wouldn't always be uprooted."

Governor Sutiyoso had said almost half of the total budget
would be obtained from an increase in taxes on the transfer of
vehicle ownership, vehicle ownership taxes and other sources.

The protesters began gathering at about 10:15 a.m., displaying
banners and posters. They held a street performance dealing with
the handing over of the budget from the councillors to the
governor, marked by a large yellow cone of rice representing
funds for officials, and another smaller one reflecting the money
allocated to the people.

A huge banner erected in front of City Hall read: "The 2001
draft city budget = draft city budget for bureaucrats only.
Salary, clothing, residences, cars, overseas trips = Rp 2.3
trillion. Evacuation of slums, (raids on) pedicabs, hawkers,
street children = Rp 328 billion. Education, health, lighting the
streets = Rp 1.2 billion."

Council Speaker Edy promised to meet with the protesters again
to discuss their proposed draft budget. "Don't worry. We will not
endorse the draft unless we are clear about the budget and
expenditures." (07)