'Councillors should stand by us'

'Councillors should stand by us'

The new Jakarta councillors have elected Ade Surapriatna of the
Golkar Party, who is serving his fifth tenure on the council, as
speaker. His victory has not been without controversy, and has
raised questions on the loss of rival Ahmad Heryawan of the
Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which holds majority seats at 18.
Amid the ongoing scandal surrounding the Bogor city council and
the detention of its former speaker for graft, the Jakarta
councillors made a pledge against corruption, collusion and
nepotism. The Jakarta Post asked some residents on their
expectations for the new councillors.

Anwar, 34, is a street vendor who has a spot outside the Tanah
Abang textile market, Central Jakarta. He lives with his wife and
two sons in Cipulir subdistrict, South Jakarta:

I voted for Democratic Party in the April legislative election
and I voted for the party's candidate Pak SBY (Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono) in the presidential elections because I expect them to
provide a better life for my family.

Frankly, I do not know the candidate I voted for in the
legislative election. But I still hope that the new city
councillors will perform better than those before.

I hope they will think about the fate of the poor who have
elected them; I hope they will not be involved in corruption and
that they will not allow the administration to evict street
vendors.

But I don't know that they will fulfill any of my hopes,
because I don't know them personally.

Lisa, 24, is a factory outlet attendant in Senayan, South
Jakarta. She lives in Meruya, West Jakarta:

I expect the new councillors will show integrity in doing
their jobs. As our representatives, they should side with the
interests of the majority and should communicate openly with the
capital's residents.

There should be no protests or rallies at City Council any
more, because the councillors themselves set up the mechanisms to
find out about the real problems we're facing right now.

I voted for PKS. I don't really know about their candidate,
but the party is known for their integrity and consistency.

What we need are outspoken councillors who will stand up for
the people they represent and not just those greedy politicians
who are into horse-trading or money politics.

-- The Jakarta Post