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)