`Councillors' foreign trips useless'
`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