Councillors' firm stance weakened in Ancol

Councillors' firm stance weakened in Ancol

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso's 2001 budget speech appears likely to be
accepted, with city councillors' apparently backing away from
their original staunch criticism during the first day of a two-
day meeting at the Hotel Horison in Ancol, North Jakarta, on
Tuesday.

The chairwoman of the City Council's Commission E for social
welfare affairs, Wasilah Sutrisno, said the meeting was aimed at
clearing up the controversies surrounding the budget speech,
which did not receive a warm welcome from councillors when
delivered by the governor.

Among the controversies is the alleged misappropriation of the
city budget.

"The issues are being discussed here. The earlier sharp
criticisms of the administration have been toned down," said
Wasilah of the National Mandate Party (PAN), without going into
detail about all of the controversial issues surrounding the
speech.

Whatever the issues, they were not resolved during last week's
two-day meeting at the city-owned resort Wisma Jaya Raya in
Puncak, Bogor.

Asked to comment on criticism that the meetings in Puncak and
Ancol were nothing but a waste of money, Wasilah said she could
do nothing.

"It's a tradition," she told reporters during a break in the
meeting.

Some 47 of the city's 85 councillors and dozens of city
officials took part in Monday's meeting in the hotel's Krakatau
meeting hall.

Several rooms, priced between Rp 450,000 (US$45) and Rp 1
million a night, reportedly have been booked for councillors and
officials.

Those taking part in the meeting were entertained by a live
band during their lunch, a diversion that is unavailable to them
at the council building on Jl. Kebon Sirih in Central Jakarta.

However, the financial assistant to City Secretary Makmun Amin
denied having booked any rooms at the hotel for councillors and
officials.

"Only one room was booked for the people in charge of the
meeting," Makmun told reporters.

Councillor Ahmad Heryawan admitted that some councillors might
be staying at the hotel.

"But I will go home and return tomorrow morning. I don't know
about the others," Heryawan said.

It remains unclear who decided on holding the meeting at the
hotel, which is partially owned by the city administration.

A city official claimed the councillors demanded the meeting
be held in the Hotel Horison. But councillors said the meeting
was the initiative of and financed by the City Finance Office.

"I don't know who decided on the details of the meeting. But
the funds for the meeting were taken from the city budget,"
Makmun Amin said, without specifying how much the meeting was
costing.

Last week, the city's 85 councillors and hundreds of city
officials took part in the Puncak meeting, which reportedly cost
Rp 1.5 billion.

The 2002 city budget allocated Rp 17.8 billion for City
Council meetings related to the governor's budget speech and
accountability speech.

The councillors will decide whether to reject or to accept the
budget speech during a plenary session on April 26.

If his speech is rejected, Sutiyoso's opportunity to be
reelected in October for a second five-year term would vanish.