City finds it hard to control offices

City finds it hard to control offices

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said yesterday that a
lack of supervision has caused many irregularities in the
management of the city administration.

Speaking to reporters after inducting the new board members of
the Jakarta Academy, Surjadi said the administration has
difficulties supervising its offices because it manages various
matters. The Jakarta Academy is a private think-tank on the arts.
It groups intellectuals and artists.

"The city administration is doing various things which are
more complex than those of other provinces in Indonesia and as a
result there are some matters which are not well supervised,"
Surjadi said, referring to grafts at the city parking authority
in which the administration has lost about Rp 35 billion.

Surjadi urged the people to report any irregularities they
find out at offices managed by the administration.

"I would appreciate the public's participation in supervising
my administration by informing us of the irregularities, based on
clear facts, evidence and data," he said.

Surjadi said he will accept criticisms leveled against him by
the public as long as they are supported by clear facts. He
promised that he would not hesitate to impose severe penalties on
the errant officials.

"The city administration will not tolerate any irregularities.
I will take firm actions against errant officials involved,
whoever they are," he pointed out.

Early this week the governor had ordered the city
administration's inspector's office to investigate alleged
corruption at the parking authority office.

The allegation stated that there were disparities between the
amount of funds reported by the parking authority office and the
bank receipts for the funds, reported by privately managed
parking companies.

The governor appointed Mochtar Lubis as chairman of the
Jakarta Academy to replace Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, who passed
away last year, H. Boediardjo as deputy chairman and Taufik
Abdullah as a member of the academy.

Surjadi said the academy is an honorary council for artists in
the city and the academy is responsible for giving the
administration input, suggestions and opinions regarding arts and
culture.

The governor urged the academy to help government efforts to
curb the influx of foreign cultures. "This is one of the ways to
keep our identity and culture." (yns)