`Councillors' foreign trips useless'

City Governor Sutiyoso conceded on Tuesday that city councilors had forced his administration to finance their foreign trips for comparative studies, claiming that the administration had not planned such trips. The Jakarta Post talked to ordinary citizens and they criticized the councilors' trips, which they deemed as lavish and fruitless.

Adwin, 30, is an employee at a private company in Cakung, East Jakarta. He is a resident of Pulomas, East Jakarta:

The city councilors' trip was too costly. The reason they gave, that they conducted comparative studies, is just nonsense, as the studies don't really benefit the city residents.

Worse still, the trip only wastes the city budget because the money could have been used to finance other urgent needs, such as preparations for the rainy season.

Flood anticipation mechanisms are much more urgent and concerns actual public interest. Had the city councilors acted upon this, they would have deserved recognition as representatives of the people.

In truth, they don't represent the public aspiration at all.

Engkoh, 27, is a street musician who plays from Grogol in West Jakarta to Blok M in South Jakarta. He resides in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, with his wife and son:

I feel uneasy in observing the city councilors' behavior so far. They just waste the people's money for no clear reason.

It'd be better to spend the money to help improve the lives of poor city residents. I would even feel grateful to them if they could provide us proper jobs.

Here, we see that there are many street children and jobless people roaming the streets, because life is extremely difficult for us and money hardly ever sides with the poor. In contrast, the councilors' take trips for pleasure, spending such a large amount of money.

I feel they are not the people's representatives at all, and they never support low-income city residents, let alone think of their living conditions.

I vow not to vote for any party nor for anyone to lead the country. They are all selfish people, but lucky, and none of them are trustworthy.

I think life was much better during the New Order era because low-income people found it easier to get by, despite the rampant corruption.

There were less street musicians and beggars on the street then.

Ryan, 28, is a roadside tattoo artist in Blok M, South Jakarta, and lives in Petukangan, South Jakarta:

The city councilors' attitudes are too much. It's obvious that they don't care about the low-income city residents, who suffer from many hardships under the current economic condition.

They wasted money even during the sluggish economic condition, when most people were facing worsening living conditions. Whatever their reasons, they are wrong. What is the benefit of their comparative studies?

They shouldn't have acted in that weaselly way. It's the time to think of the low-income people, who always face a hard life.

The people's representatives are only clever at making fools of the low-income people, who pay the taxes that support their offices.

They just please themselves and neglect the poor.

Yanto, 30, is an artist at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta. He resides in nearby Cikini, Central Jakarta:

The problem is not about hurting or not hurting the poor people's hearts, but the city councilors' trip is very impractical.

I wonder why conducting such comparative studies should involve so many city councilors, while they produce no good for the public? They were just wasting the people's money.

I think it would be better to send select, qualified city councilors as it would save much of the city budget.

Further, some of the budget must be allocated towards empowering the needy so they can have better lives. To educate people in the city is a much more urgent matter.

The city residents deserve better services as they are taxpayers, and taxpayers contribute to the city revenue.

Ferry, 27, is a sidewalk vendor who sells VCDs in Senen, Central Jakarta. He lives in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta with his brother:

The news that the city councillors' took foreign trips irritates me. I wonder if they still deserve to be called the people's representatives.

Their behavior obviously shows that they do not care about people who earn a low income. I cannot imagine how much they have spent of the money collected in taxes from people like us.

If they had any common sense, the part of the budget used for their trips could have been used to help the socially disadvantaged in the city.

I wonder if they know that city residents are hardly able to survive on a daily basis. It's really tough to get by. I can feel it.

I'm pessimistic. What can we do about it? I'm sure they would never listen to what we had to say. Well, the most important thing is getting my next meal rather than thinking about a futile situation like that.

-- Leo Wahyudi S