Council spots failures in Sutiyoso report

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Factions in the City Council Monday have given a thumbs-down to Governor Sutiyoso's accountability speech, saying that his administration had failed to reach its 2004 targets and that it was trying to cover up its failures.

The Prosperous Justice Party faction, the largest faction with 18 representatives in the 75-member City Council, suggested that Sutiyoso's growth claim in his speech was misleading.

Sutiyoso claimed in his speech delivered on May 18 that junior high school participation levels went up from 91.81 percent in 2003 to 92.63 percent in 2004.

"The growth is far below the 2004 target of 94.10 percent," said councillor Muhayar, who read out the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS)'s response to Sutiyoso's accountability speech on Monday.

Sutiyoso also said in his report that senior high participation grew from 68.26 percent in 2003 to 70.36 percent in 2004. However, the achievement was still lower than the 2004 target of 71.20 percent.

"Please explain whether or not the speech is designed to cover up the administration's failures to attain its 2004 targets set in 2003," said Muhayar.

Gandhi Sulhani of the Golkar Party faction also highlighted the administration's failure to collect money from taxes imposed on entertainment centers, with the administration only managing to secure Rp 107.78 billion in revenue representing 98 percent of the targeted Rp 110 billion.

The tax imposed on entertainment centers, like massage parlors and discotheques, was the only tax item which failed to reach the target out of the total 12 kinds of taxes. Others successfully exceeded the targets.

Gandhi recommended that the administration consider adopting an online tax collection system in order to cut red-tape and thus make the tax system more transparent to the public.

"It is urgent for the administration to adopt such an online system as it is targeting to collect city revenues up to Rp 20 trillion in 2007," Gandhi said.

The administration managed to garner Rp 11.54 trillion last year, or 104.85 percent of its targeted Rp 11.01 trillion.

Mohammad Rusly of the United Development Party faction put the spotlight on the administration's civil servants, whom he said where simply not performing.

"Based on our faction's observations, many civil servants spent their working day chatting or reading newspapers. We often see them hanging around in canteens and other places outside their offices during office hours," Rusly said.

Rusly added that many officers were assigned to positions that were not in accordance with their competence or background.

"Worse still, poor supervision by the City Audit Agency (Bawasda) also failed to deter undisciplined officials from repeating their wrongdoings," he asserted.

Bawasda received 178 reports from the public over irregularities implicating city officials, of which 71 were proven valid. It has also imposed sanctions on 113 civil servants, but only two were eventually brought to court.

Meanwhile, Syamsidar Siregar of the National Mandate Party faction criticized Sutiyoso for failing to make his accountability report "detailed, clear and comprehensive."

"We ask the administration to elaborate on how budget allocations have tangible outputs and impact for residents," Syamsidar said.