Councillors find absurdity in budget
Councillors find absurdity in budget
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Councillors and observers have discovered many overlapping and
questionable programs in the draft 2004 city budget proposed by
the city administration.
The secretary of City Council Commission B for economic
affairs, Dani Anwar, said on Tuesday that the draft budget
allocated, for example, Rp 150 million (US$17,647) for the
Jakarta Cooperatives, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Agency
for drafting one gubernatorial decree.
One governor decree consists of between around three and 20
pages.
"I don't know why drafting a gubernatorial decree is very
expensive. Then how much money will go to the governor for
signing one decree?" Dani said to The Jakarta Post.
A Justice Party councillor also criticized the agency, which
appears short of action in empowering cooperatives and small and
medium enterprises in its proposed programs in 2004. The agency,
however, proposed Rp 43.72 billion for its activities next year.
Meanwhile, Ugiek Soegihardjo, another Commission B member,
criticized a number of funding allocations proposed by the City
Industry and Trade Agency and City Tourism Agency.
He questioned the allocation of Rp 100 million for the
industry and trade agency for drafting the accountability speech
of Sutiyoso at the accomplishment of the 2003 budget.
"If every agency proposed a similar amount of funds for the
accountability speech, how much would the speech cost?" quipped
Ugiek, who is a councillor from the Indonesian Democratic Party
of Struggle (PDI-P).
He also criticized the City Tourism Agency and its offices in
municipalities, which proposed too much money for organizing the
annual Abang None (Miss and Mr Jakarta) pageant.
For the annual event, the tourism office in Central Jakarta
allocates Rp 350 million, North Jakarta Rp 450 million, East
Jakarta Rp 400 million, South Jakarta Rp 350 million, West
Jakarta Rp 300 million and the Kepulauan Siribu regency Rp 600
million.
A number of non-governmental organizations, grouped in the
NGO-Alliance for Jakarta Financial Watch, found overlapping
allocations for the governor's luncheons, as both the Jakarta
Secretariat and the City Hall Public Relations Bureau requested
allocations.
According to the NGOs' statement, the Jakarta Secretariat
allocated Rp 6 billion for the luncheons over the year while the
City Hall Public Relations Bureau allocated Rp 5 billion.
"With such amounts of money, City Hall would be able to
organize a party worth Rp 30 million every day of the year using
taxpayers' money," the statement said.
The NGOs demanded that councillors pay serious attention to
such questionable allocations so that taxpayers' money could be
spent as effectively as possible.
The administration has proposed a budget of Rp 12.158 trillion
for 2004 compared to the Rp 11.563 billion this year.
The proposed budget is being discussed by councillors and
officials from the administration and is scheduled to be approved
by the council on Dec. 30.