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)