Councillors are greedy people: Activists

JAKARTA (JP): Activists opposed on Sunday the city administration's plan to buy the Timor building on Jl. Medan Merdeka Timor, Central Jakarta, in a plan to make it the city council's new headquarters.

Activists Edy Saedy and Tubagus Karbyanto, who often represents disadvantaged people lobbying the council, doubted the new building would improve the 85 councillors' performance.

"They are greedy people. All that's on their minds is facilities without any plan to provide advantages for their people," Edy, head of the community organizing division of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), told The Jakarta Post.

He said that it was a shame the councillors had demanded the new building before demonstrating any achievements, such as policies which helped poor people still suffering from the crisis.

He suspected the new building and other facilities, such as cars and scholarships, was part of a deal between the councillors and Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, who's term expires next year.

"Sutiyoso probably wants to be reelected next year. He hopes his accountability speech will be accepted by giving councillors facilities," Edy said.

Separately, Tubagus Karbyanto supported Edy's view that the councillors had not yet accomplished anything, and said that buying a new building for them would not help improve their performance.

"They would do better to change the budget for the new building into funds for disadvantaged people," Tubagus, chief of the urban division of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, told the Post.

He agreed that the new building would not improve the councillors' performance, instead providing more opportunity for collusive and corrupt practices.

"If they have one room each in the new building, it will help create 'closed door' deals," Tubagus, an activist from the Jakarta Residents Forum, said.

He viewed the current council building, located on Jl. Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta, as appropriate for the councillors' activities.

City Secretary Fauzi Bowo confirmed on Friday that the administration would buy the Timor building as the council's new headquarters.

The building, owned by Humpuss Group, has been seized by the ministry of finance's directorate general for taxation.

The 17-story building will be auctioned for sale after the Humpuss group, controlled by former President Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra, failed to pay its tax arrears.

The Central Jakarta Mayoralty also sealed off the building last year for violating a presidential decree which forbids private businesses from owning buildings located around the National Monument (Monas) park.

The city council earlier proposed that the city administration build a new building in Kemayoran area, in Central Jakarta.

They also demanded that the new building be equipped with a sauna and fitness center similar to the city administration's facilities. (jun)