Bigger city budget comes with conditions

Bigger city budget comes with conditions

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Amid rumors of tough discussions between the City Council and
administration over a number of issues, the factions on the
council unanimously approved next year's city budget on
Wednesday.

The budget totals Rp 17.9 trillion, representing a 26 percent
increase over this year's Rp 14.2 trillion.

Most of the increase, or 52.7 percent, will go into the
pockets of public servants, who will receive an extra allocation
of Rp 1.95 trillion.

"Since the increase in the 2006 city budget is mainly due to
higher spending on public servants, we would seriously call on
the public servants to provide a payback in the form of a
significant improvement in their performance," said Abdul Wahab
Djamhuri of the Awakening Reform faction (FKR).

The FKR, the smallest faction that is made up of small
parties, was the only faction that explicitly expressed
reservations over the budget. It also recommended that the
procedures for the accessing of free health and education
services by disadvantaged residents be simplified.

The second largest party on the council, the Prosperous
Justice Party (PKS), only promised "to tightly monitor" the
implementation of the city budget.

Council speaker Ade Surapriatna said on Tuesday that the
council had eventually acceded to the city administration's
wishes on several issues, including improvements in public
services in districts and subdistricts.

All the factions on the council seemed to lack focus over the
issues raised with the administration during Wednesday's session
featuring final statements from all six factions on the council.

Late last year, the council delayed the approval to the 2005
budget until early in January. The administration has claimed
that the delays in some projects this year was due to the tardy
approval of the budget.

In the 2006 city budget, the administration is prioritizing
such projects as the development of new busway corridors,
preparatory work on a mass rapid transit system, flood
mitigation, the provision of improved public services in
districts and subdistricts, the construction of low cost
apartments and free education for students from poor families.