Councillors must work first, demand salary later
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The City Council should put public interests first before demanding higher salaries and better facilities, residents say.
"The time is not right to propose higher salaries. Councillors must show the public that they can perform first, at least in their first year, before they ask for higher salaries," urban observer Azas Tigor Nainggolan of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) told The Jakarta Post by phone on Sunday.
He made the comments after newly elected council Speaker Ade Surapriatna of the Golkar Party publicly promised to provide a monthly salary of Rp 15 million (US$1,665.74) for each councillor and better facilities including new cars and apartments. The promise was made to "improve the councillors' dignity", Ade said.
"More money will not make the councillors more dignified," Anung Karyadi of the Indonesian Transparency International group told the Post. "In such times of crisis, it is necessary for the councillors to prioritize first their main tasks, such as to help provide cheap education, instead of asking for raises."
Tigor the process in which councillors were awarded higher salaries and better facilities should made transparent to enable Jakartans to decide if they deserved them.
"The funds (for the salary hike) will be taken from the city budget, which is taxpayers' money. Therefore, the use of the money must be with the people's consent," he said.
Governor Sutiyoso said his administration would try to meet the request made by the council to raise their salaries and improve the facilities.
"We will try to accommodate the request as long as it complies within existing laws and the city budget can afford it," he said.
Anung expressed his suspicion over the result of Friday's election, in which Ade -- who, according to the Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN), is the richest councillor with total asset of Rp 5,793 billion -- managed to beat Ahmad Heryawan of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
On paper, Heryawan had garnered 18 votes from the PKS councillors and 16 votes from Democratic party councillors.
During the election, Ade successfully won by 42 votes while Heryawan only garnered 30 votes.
"There have been strong indications of money politics in the election, including Ade's promise to raise councillors' salaries. But we will need more data as evidence (to prove it)," he said.
Rumors circulated before election day candidates had met with several councillors at two hotels in Central Jakarta. Some councillors confirmed the meeting but none were willing to reveal the meeting's agenda.
Tigor said Jakartans needed a changed council that would work for the people's interests, especially the poor.
"Keep in mind that only 17 of the 75 councillors are old faces. The rest are new. This reflects the public's desire for change and a wish councillors take a critical stance against policies that are for the interests of a few," he said.