Councillors' departure abroad not confirmed
Councillors' departure abroad not confirmed
JAKARTA (JP): Sources at City Council gave conflicting
information regarding the departure of several city councillors
for Japan, ostensibly to conduct a comparative study on disaster
management.
One source at the council confirmed that several members of
City Council Commission A for administration, security and public
order, government affairs departed on Friday evening, while
another said that they would leave the city next week.
None of the councillors from Commission A could be reached for
comment as their chamber was empty on Friday afternoon.
Earlier, a member of Commission A, Abdul Aziz Matnur, admitted
that some councillors of the commission planned the visit to
Tokyo, which has been hailed as a model city for disaster
management.
He stressed the urgency to set up a disaster management plan
for the city which would also cover social conflict, such as
riots.
The public has criticized some of the foreign trips taken by
city councillors, saying that the trips were a waste of
taxpayers' money.
So far, the councillors have visited Mexico, the United States
and Canada for conducting comparative studies on several
subjects, including taxation, waste management, education and
social welfare.
Meanwhile, some councillors from Commission D for development
affairs will reportedly leave the city this month for Buenos
Aires, Argentina, for a comparative study on waste management.
The chairman of Commission D, Sayogo Hendrosoebroto confirmed
the visit on Friday afternoon by saying that the councillors had
planned the trip to learn more about waste management.
He told the Post that the council had set up a master plan on
waste management in 1992 with guidance from the Japanese
government, and that the plan would be futile if it was not
followed up with the study in Argentina.
In June, five councillors from Commission D had conducted a
comparative study in Vancouver, Canada, on the same subject.
Sayogo defended the councillors, saying that they worked hard
during the comparative studies abroad instead of enjoying
themselves. He added that the trips were exhausting.
"It is tiring to do a comparative study because the time and
budget for the trip are limited," he said.
Foreign trips to conduct comparative studies are useful for
the councillors, particularly as they gain knowledge, which
enables them "to argue with the executive in a discussion about
certain subjects," said Sayogo.
Separately, the city council chairman, Edy Waluyo, noted that
the councillors had to file a report about the comparative study
abroad.
He said that the report would be used to give input to the
city administration, particularly on the subjects that had been
learned during the comparative study.(04)