City may have 4 deputy governors
City may have 4 deputy governors
JAKARTA (JP): City councilors supported yesterday the
municipality's proposal to the central government to raise the
number of deputy governors from the current three to four.
Saud Rachman of the United Development Party (PPP) said that
in the future, the city would face increasingly complicated
problems related to economic and development programs.
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said on Thursday that three deputy
governors under the current system were not enough to anticipate
the city's economic and development progress in the future.
The three existing deputy governor positions are deputy
governor of administrative affairs, deputy governor of social
welfare and deputy governor of economic and development affairs.
Under Surjadi's proposal, the deputy governor of economic and
development affairs position would be divided into two -- deputy
governor of economic affairs and deputy governor of development
affairs.
Saud shared the governor's idea, saying, "It would be very
difficult for one deputy governor to handle both the city's
economic and development affairs."
He said candidates, proposed as deputy governor of economic
affairs and deputy governor of development affairs, should be
knowledgeable about problems related to the city's economic and
development projects.
"They (the deputy governors) should be chosen carefully,
otherwise they will hinder city development in the future," Saud
said.
Besides experience, a candidates' educational background is
also important, he said.
In the near future, the city will develop many major projects,
including a US$2.3 billion subway project, a three-tier transit
system and reclamation of North Jakarta Bay.
Surjadi said on Thursday that the city's proposal to have four
deputy governors was still being processed by the central
government. "It's up to the President," he said.
The proposal was also hailed by chairman of the Armed Forces
(ABRI) faction, Sumekar KW, and Bandjar Marpaung, a former
councilor of the Golkar faction.
"The candidates should have a strong background in the wide
variety of city problems," Sumekar said.
"Under former governor Tjokropranolo, between 1977 and 1982,
there were four deputy governors. The number of positions,
however, was later cut as three deputy governors were considered
enough," Bandjar said.
Bandjar said the position of deputy governor of economic and
development affairs was usually occupied by the former head of
the city's development planning board (Bappeda).
Bappeda, he said, was always involved in the negotiation and
the implementation of city projects.
City Secretary Harun Al Rasyid is rumored to be a strong
candidate for deputy governor of economic affairs, while
Bappeda's head Budihardjo Soekmadi and the head of the Jakarta
Tourism Agency, Fauzi Bowo, are believed to be strong candidates
for the position of deputy governor of development affairs. (ste)