Bylaw on municipal council passed

Bylaw on municipal council passed

JAKARTA: The City Council approved on Thursday a bylaw on the
establishment of municipal councils amid concerns that the
councils' seats would be filled by members of political parties.

The bylaw requires that candidates for the municipal councils
should not be employed as civil servants, military and police
officers or be members of the subdistrict councils.

Candidates for the municipal councils must be approved by the
City Council.

Only the Golkar Party faction rejected the bylaw, saying that
it would reduce democratic values at the grass roots level.

"We also fear that the seats would be allocated for political
party members. Cadres who have no permanent job, would be given
the seats" the faction chairman Ade Supriatna told reporters.

There would be 44 municipal councillors based on the number of
districts in the city. Central Jakarta municipal council, for
example, would have eight council members.

Each member will receive a monthly salary of about Rp 1
million (US$100). --JP