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