All subdistricts to get public services fund

All subdistricts to get public services fund

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city administration is planning to allocate Rp 2 billion
(US$210,000) for each of the city's 267 subdistricts in a bid to
improve public services in the capital, an official says.

"We plan to implement the public service improvement project
in all 267 subdistricts and 44 districts next year," head of
city's regional administration bureau Agus Salim Utud said.

The amount, if approved by the City Council, doubles the Rp 1
billion received by 50 subdistricts and 10 districts in the 2005
budget.

Under the current arrangement, each subdistrict is required to
submit a project proposal to receive financing. Generally, the
proposal covers various areas including sanitation, security,
community health and flood mitigation measures.

Many subdistrict heads welcomed the planned increase, saying
that the move would particularly improve welfare of subdistrict
officials.

"As the frontliners of public services in the city, our
income, for example, is much smaller than those officials from
the City Treasury, but starting next year our welfare is expected
to improve significantly," said a subdistrict head in North
Jakarta.

According to Utud, based on an initial evaluation conducted by
his office, the pilot projects have not been carried out based on
the initial objective to improve public services.

He said many subdistricts used the money for honorariums for
officials in the subdistricts, not for projects that directly
affected the community.

Utud added that with the fund, a subdistrict could improve
sanitation by employing locals in garbage collection, for
example. The fund could also be used to maintain drainage systems
to prevent floods in their areas.

"Frankly, we have not been happy with the implementation of
the pilot projects," he said referring to the 50 subdistricts and
12 districts that received Rp 1 billion in 2005.

He also recorded irregularities in the spending of the funds
in several subdistricts. He gave an example that Petamburan
subdistrict in Central Jakarta used part of the fund for the
maintenance of the subdistrict head's service vehicle.

According to him, a maintenance fund for the service cars of
subdistrict heads had been allocated by the municipal
administrations.

"We have received reports from each subdistrict about the use
of the funds from January to May and we will check each
subdistrict. We will also give a warning to those subdistricts
where irregularities have occurred," he said.

Chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) Azas Tigor
Nainggolan said that the plan to increase public service funds
managed by subdistricts was a good idea to improve public
services.

But he stressed that a thorough evaluation was needed of the
current implementation of the pilot projects before the city
administration make a decision to go ahead with the projects in
other subdistricts.

"A comprehensive evaluation of such projects is needed.
Otherwise, the fund will also be used to enrich officials in
subdistricts," he added.

Asked why the administration insisted on going ahead with the
project amid rampant irregularities, Utud said that his office
had been tasked to continuously monitor the implementation of the
pilot projects.

"We will closely monitor the implementation of the projects,
noting all weaknesses that need to be improved so that the
project will be implemented in accordance with the original
objective of improving public services in the subdistricts," he
added.