City has no funds to stop hoodlums

City has no funds to stop hoodlums

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta's acting governor Abdul Kahfi admitted
on Friday that public order operations against street vendors and
hoodlums have yet to commence throughout all of the city's five
mayoralties due to limited funds.

"It's just a technical matter though," Kafi, who is deputy
governor for administrative affairs, told reporters.

"I hope the funds will be disbursed soon," he remarked.

Since the campaign was officially launched by Governor
Sutiyoso on Monday, only the Central Jakarta Mayoralty has begun
operations.

The mayoralty's operation against street traders around the
National Monument (Monas) park on Wednesday erupted into a clash
between the parties.

Operations in the other four mayoralties have not begun due to
the late disbursement of funds for the project.

Kahfi reiterated on Friday that the operation conducted by the
administration focuses on unauthorized sidewalk traders.

He said attempts to counter the activities of hoodlums,
locally known as preman, would be handled by the city police.

Sources in Jakarta Police revealed that they have not yet
commenced an offensive against the alleged thugs, pending the
disbursement of the operational costs.

Sutiyoso earlier proposed that the operations against thugs
and hoodlums be funded by the City Budget, from which some Rp 12
billion to Rp 24 billion would be allocated.

But Kahfi said on Thursday that the costs would be
appropriated from the Rp 30 billion public order operation fund.

The city administration decided on Thursday to pay Rp 15,000 a
day for officers participating in the operations against street
traders and hoodlums.

At least 2,800 public order officers, including 1,900 newly-
installed civilian police auxiliaries (Banpol), have been
prepared for the operations. A further 800 police officers will
be deployed to back them up.

Many councillors have questioned the effectiveness of the
campaign against hoodlums, maintaining that the root of the
problem is poverty.

They also questioned allocation of the funds and the methods
that would be employed to account for them.

Separately, city administration spokesman Muhayat rejected on
Friday that the money instead be used to create jobs for the
disadvantaged, such as street vendors and hoodlums.

"It will only create another problem," Muhayat remarked,
adding that the creation of jobs was a responsibility of other
agencies. (jun)