Councillors ask for land and cars

JAKARTA (JP): City councillors took office less than a year ago, bringing with them high expectations from the public, but now stories are appearing in the media that these same councillors have picked up the bad habits of their predecessors.

Over the past several days, the 85 members of the City Council have been the subject of numerous page-one stories in the local media because of their proposal that the city provide them with land and cars.

No councillor or city official was willing to disclose the details of the proposal, such as the location and size of the plots of land or the type of vehicles.

But a ranking councillor, who asked not to be named, said on Wednesday the council had proposed the city administration help finance the procurement of 55 Hyundai Accent sedans for the councillors.

Several employees at the city administration office confirmed their office had received an official letter from the council containing a proposal that councillors be given land and vehicles.

They said the letter stated that every councillor should receive a plot of land valued at Rp 200 million (US$23,255) and a car worth Rp 90 million.

According to the employees, several council members have told them if the city administration approves the request, they will request the cash equivalent because they already own homes and vehicles.

City Council Speaker Edi Waluyo said on Tuesday that a plan to require the city administration to provide city councillors with land and vehicles had been in the works years ago, but was suspended when the economic crisis struck.

"Even if we're allowed to receive (the land and cars), we have to pay for them in installments. The payments will be deducted from our monthly salaries .... Besides, the plan is not definite," Edi said.

City councillors are paid Rp 6 million per month, though they can take home up to Rp 10 million a month when the various honorariums they receive are added in.

According to Edi, a special team has been established by the council to study the feasibility of the proposal. "So far the team has not yet submitted their findings to us."

Separately, Governor Sutiyoso said he had not seen the council's proposal, but promised to study it with his staff as soon as he received it.

"We'll discuss the demand, but the councillors should know that the city does not have much money.

"The city still has a lot of other priorities .... is it a top priority to provide such facilities to the councillors?" the governor asked.

According to Sutiyoso, this type of request would have been seen as a priority in the past, but in the present climate it was questionable.

"Plus, the councillors have been in office for less than a year," Sutiyoso said.

He proposed that instead of providing each councillor a plot of land, the city construct an official residential complex for them.

"But the councillors would have to leave the houses shortly after their terms in office ended, because it frequently happens that officials refuse to leave state property, insisting on staying and taking ownership of the houses," he said.

Responding to the council's proposal, the Jakarta chapter of the Legal Aid Foundation urged the councillors either to fight for the public's interests or resign.

"The councillors should focus their energy on how to handle the problems of the people rather than on how to fight for their own interests," the foundation said in a statement on Tuesday. (dja)