Councillors ask for land and cars

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)