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)