City councillors under fire over budget talks

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As thousands of people displaced by the recent city-led forced evictions cry for help, their representatives in City Council are due to leave for the mountain resort of Puncak, West Java, to discuss the proposed city budget, drawing strong criticism from the public and non-governmental organizations.

Some 85 members of the council will convene with members of the city executive at the luxurious Wisma Jayaraya complex in Puncak on Wednesday and Thursday next week to discuss the draft 2002 city budget, which was proposed to balance at Rp 8.9 trillion.

But non-governmental organizations have slammed the plan, saying that the move was a way for the public representatives "to distance themselves from the public".

Although head of the council Edy Waluyo asserted earlier that the meeting was open to the public, some critics have said that by holding the meeting in Puncak, about 60 kilometers south of Jakarta, public access to the budget talks remained restricted.

"Before the councillors go to Puncak, they should first hold open discussions with the public to receive feedback, criticism, complaints and recommendations over the upcoming agenda of the meeting," said Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH).

Tubagus contended that the councillors should remember that the upcoming talks on this year's budget were critical in deciding the fate of the general public, especially those who have recently been displaced, reiterating that it was vital that the public should be involved in drafting the budget.

Tubagus said that councillors should also set a good example to the public on how to live thriftily, as had been stated by President Megawati Soekarnoputri to all state officials.

"Why should they hold the meeting in Puncak, which is obviously going to be expensive, rather than here in Jakarta," he questioned.

The cost of holding such a meeting is enormous as more than 1,500 people will be present at the meeting. It will not only be attended by councillors, as staff members of the city administration will also be present.

A reliable source, who refused to be identified, said that every commission of the council was tasked to oversee about 30 departments. "If every department sends some 10 people, then at least 300 city officials will attend the two-day meeting," the source said, adding that the number excluded staff members.

Tubagus further lambasted the meeting claiming it would only squander public money for policies that might be against the public's interest, which included the eviction policy.

However, Maringan Pangaribuan, head of Commission A overseeing governmental affairs, played down all allegations, saying that efficiency was the main reason in choosing Puncak as the venue for discussing the city budget.

Maringan said that their discussions would be more intensive as all parties involved would stay for the whole two-day meeting, avoiding "all those things that might distract their attention".

"We can hold uninterrupted talks all day long from early in the morning until late at night because we are staying at the same hotel," he argued.

Last year, the council held a similar meeting to discuss the 2001 budget revision, which also sparked public criticism that claimed such a meeting was a way to keep the public away from the process of drafting the budget.