City budget must be people oriented

City budget must be people oriented

From Media Indonesia

With regard to regional autonomy, the city administration has now been given a free hand to manage its funds to augment its income and to carry out city development activities. This is, perhaps, closely related to the significant increase in vehicle tax in Jakarta.

The higher rate of vehicle tax has burdened many city residents, especially from the middle level downwards, but they are still hoping the city administration will improve its services to the community.

With the budget year drawing to a close, however, the city administration is still yet to provide better services as, for example, administration officers continue to collect money from residents for processing their identity cards even though it is said to be free of charge. Many roads in the suburbs are in bad repair. Missing or broken traffic signs are often not replaced and many street vendors still occupy parts of some of the city's roads, causing heavy traffic jams. Not to mention the piles of garbage in some of the traditional markets that are often not collected on time and the many buskers extorting money from bus passengers. And yes, security in the city is still seriously affected by all kinds of criminal acts.

Public funds are not spent for the maximum interests of the people. It seems that the city administration would rather provide facilities for its officials than repair public facilities. All this shows that the city council cannot accomplish its duty as the people's representatives. The respected city councilors cannot voice their people's aspirations as they have their own vested interest in building their own fortunes.

It explains why meetings on the city budget plan between the city council and the city administration are not aimed at utilizing public funds for the welfare of the people but at reaching a win-win solution for the sake of both institutions.

The result is the list of activities and figures that we can see in the current budget of the Jakarta city administration. Hopefully, President Megawati Soekarnoputri can focus her attention on the irregularities in the budget policies so that the budget will no longer be official-oriented but people- oriented.

EFFENDY AHMAD

Depok, West Java