Council passes development guidelines

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The City Council passed two city bylaws on City Development Guidelines (Poldas) and on the City Development Program (Propeda) during a plenary meeting on Monday, which will be the basis for development activities for the next five years.

This is the first time that the city administration has initiated a five-year plan formalized by the City Council through a city bylaw. Such planning is required by several 1999 laws on regional administrations.

The City Development Guidelines, the top-level legal reference in the city, consists of five chapters regarding the city's development vision and mission, policy, strategic goals and development planning.

Meanwhile, Propeda's 13 chapters are more elaborate and specify seven development fields and their funding.

The seven fields are law and public order; administration; the economy; education and health; population and manpower; socio- cultural issues; natural resources and the environment and city facilities and infrastructure.

Propeda is then defined in further detail in the City Yearly Development Planning (Repetada) which includes the city budget.

Although all factions in the City Council agreed to pass the bylaws, the councillors said that there was still room for improvement.

Haim Mahadin, spokesman of the National Mandate (PAN) faction, for example, urged the city administration to give more space for small-and-medium enterprises instead of focusing on unproductive city-owned companies.

"The city administration should evaluate the presence of so many unproductive city-owned companies. They should be merged or simply sold," he said.

"We also need a holding company to manage all the companies."

PAN faction also suggested that the administration focus on economic recovery and law enforcement in the 2003-2004 period.

"The city administration must also rehabilitate socio-economic infrastructure and maintain city infrastructure as well," said Haim.

"The city administration must then focus on socio-economic development to achieve lasting prosperity and being autonomous in the 2005-2007 period," he added.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) reiterated its populist demands for social welfare.

"We would like the city administration to accommodate our demands for the construction of low-cost apartments; free education for the first nine years; free services at community health centers; and an improvement in the quality and quantity of fresh tap water," faction's spokesman, Julianson PN Purba said.

The City Council is slated to hold another plenary meeting on Tuesday to hear the factions' final say on City Strategic Planning (Renstrada) which is an extension of the City Development Guidelines.

Posman Siahaan of the Unity and Justice Party (PKP) faction warned the city administration that there were still social problems that could hinder further development in the city.

"There is still social unrest and mass brawls in the city, which we can attribute to weak law enforcement," he said.

"There are also signs of uncontrolled freedom and a show-of- force which could lead to anarchy."

Siahaan also pointed to the slow recovery of the city's economy which has caused poverty and high unemployment rates.

"These problems are magnified by the fact that city officials and institutions are still not competent," he said.

Spokesman of the Justice Party (PK) faction, Ahmad Heryawan, said it was important for the city administration to soon make public the bylaws so that all related city agencies and residents could take advantage of them.

"Another important point is that the city leadership should set a good example for city residents as our society is still paternalistic," he said.