Councilors divided over more deputy governors

Councilors divided over more deputy governors

JAKARTA (JP): City councilors were divided yesterday on
whether to support the ruling Golkar faction's suggestion of
increasing the number of Jakarta deputy governors from three to
four.

The Golkar faction called on the City Council to add another
deputy so the administration could better serve Jakarta's nine
million people.

"The current structure of three deputies is no longer
sufficient to cover the increasing volume of work," Golkar
spokeswoman Erna Soeparman said at a meeting on the proposed city
budget.

Golkar suggested each of the four deputies would be
responsible for governmental, economic, development affairs or
public welfare.

Erna said government regulation No. 11/1990 had provisions for
another deputy.

Under Golkar's proposal, the economic and development sectors,
currently overseen by one deputy, will be handled separately by
two deputies so each sector can grow faster as the country
struggles for free trade.

The chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party faction,
Lukman F. Mokoginta, however, opposed the idea.

"We don't have to change the structure just to optimize the
administration's performance. What we have to do is to boost the
working spirit of existing personnel. Besides, there is no
directive to apply regulation No. 11/1990," Lukman said.

He said another deputy and the separation of the economic and
development sectors would create more bureaucratic barriers.

Djenny Suharso, the deputy chairman of the Indonesian
Democratic Party faction, agreed.

United Development Party (PPP) faction member M. Rodja
also disliked the idea and asked: "If things are kept under
control by three deputies, why should we add another one?".

But PPP chairman Yusuf Hamdani said adding another deputy was
acceptable.

"If it is to improve the administration's performance I think
it's good to have another deputy governor and to spend more,"
Yusuf said.

Separately, the deputy governor in charge of the economy and
development, Tb. M. Rais, said he had no objection to Golkar's
suggestion.

"The suggestion to have four deputies is possible according to
the regulation," he said after the meeting.

Also raised during yesterday's meeting was the issue of
primary regional revenues as the city administration's main
finance source.

Last week the administration proposed the city's budget for
the 1997/1998 fiscal year. A Rp 3.36 trillion (US$1.40 billion)
budget was set, a 5.18-percent increase from Rp 3.2 trillion this
fiscal year.

The primary regional revenue was projected to contribute as
much as 63.06 percent, or Rp 2.03 trillion to the
administration's income.

All four factions suggested the city administration boost its
income by intensifying the collecting of retributions, including
retribution from fisheries, housing, public bus and train
stations and street vendors. (04)