Dekel: Grass root democracy or job opportunity?

Ahmad Junaidi The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Members of Dewan Kelurahan -- or Dekel (subdistrict legislative councils) -- are often described as people who are concerned more about their salary and allowances than in contributing their thoughts towards the improvement of their subdistricts.

Recently, for instance, dozens of Dekel members from North Jakarta visited the City Council and asked that their monthly salary of Rp 500,000 (US$50), paid for by the city budget, not have a 15 percent income tax deduction.

They also demanded an official uniform (one of them creatively suggested a black safari suit) and special pins to make them look like city councillors.

In addition to the monthly salary, the members also receive other perks, such as meeting allowance, which amounts to Rp 1.2 million a month.

Since the bylaw No. 5/2000 on the establishment of the Dekel was passed into law, the lowest-level council members have been bombarded with criticism.

All the suspicion was based on the background and recruitment process of the members.

Many, for instance, were reportedly unemployed people in their respective neighborhood units. In slum subdistricts, such as Petamburan in Central Jakarta and Menteng Dalam in South Jakarta, it was not easy to find candidates for the Dekel.

In the subdistricts, the candidates were even obliged to campaign on their missions and visions in order to be re-elected. A competitive nuance was very clear in the election.

During their campaigns, they pledged that they would donate their salaries and allowances to their neighborhoods. But many doubted their promises.

To beat their opponents, some candidates often revealed that the other candidates failed to finish junior high school, a basic requirement for their membership.

But in several posh residential areas, like Pondok Indah in South Jakarta or Menteng in Central Jakarta where the residents are mostly company executives or working people, not many of them have been willing to join the subdistrict councils.

According to the bylaw, the community chief could appoint a resident to be a Dekel member if an election cannot be held. So the chief would appoint people who have unclear job or are unemployed.

Besides exploitation by the unemployed, the Dekel councils are also believed to be "used" by cadres of political parties at the grassroots level for similar reasons.

It is common knowledge that members of political parties at the grassroots level are not paid by the parties. Some of them are unemployed.

So far, there has not been a single initiative proposed by the Dekel members.

Dekel, which was called Lembaga Musyawarah Desa or LMD (Subdistrict Consultative Body) in the past, is hoping to encourage people's participation in and the practice of democracy in development process in their respective areas.

In the past, LMD was chaired by a subdistrict chief who is also a civil servant, and functioned as if it was a stamp for the administration. The body members were often the wives and/or relatives of the subdistrict chief.

The winds of reform, which blew strongly through Indonesia with the downfall of former president Soeharto in 1998, bolstered the spirit of freedom.

According to former State Minister for Regional Autonomy Ryaas Rasyid, the establishment of the Dekel was aimed at creating democracy at the grassroots level.

"The establishment of Dekel is important, so democracy does not belong to the political elite," Ryaas, who played a key role in the drafting of Law No. 22/1999 on regional autonomy, once said during a seminar at City Hall.

So, the goal was clearly mentioned in the Bylaw no. 5/200 on subdistrict council.

Article 2 of the Bylaw specifies that the establishment of the subdistrict council be aimed at forging a democratic and transparent subdistrict administration oriented towards harmony, the empowerment of people and public service.

Of course, this goal is not enough if the body is not equipped with any real authority.

According to the Bylaw, the Dekel members have only "a consultative duty," such as suggesting to the subdistrict chief on the improvement of the administration. Other duties might benefit the subdistrict chief, such as explaining the subdistrict policies to the public.

The subdistrict council was then feared to become only a rubber stamp for the policies made by the subdistrict, since the bylaw has given no authority to arrange the policy.

The subdistrict council has no authority to "impeach" or suggest that the governor impeach a subdistrict chief who is found in violation of policy.

It's also still unclear what kind of guidelines and suggestions could even be made by the council members.

The policy of a subdistrict was included in a policy of a mayoralty, which is decided by the city administration and approved by the city council.

So what kind of supervision and change could the Dekel members make? Indeed, it is a question difficult to answer.

InBox:

How a resident could be elected as Dekel member according to Article 5 of the Bylaw:

1. A member should be at least 21 years old. 2. He or she should at least be a junior high school graduate. 3. He or she should not be a neighborhood or community chief. 4. He or she should be a public figure who is living in the

neighborhood for at least three years. 5. The resident, if he/she is a member of a political party, does

not represent the party.

The election process of Dekel members:

1. Two-thirds of residents in a Rukun Tetangga or (neighborhood unit) choose a candidate to be proposed to a Rukun Warga or RW (Community Unit). 2. Community unit chief leads a session among candidates to elect a candidate for the Dekel. 3. If the session fails to elect a candidate, then the residents in the community unit could choose a candidate in an election. 4. The community unit chief could appoint a Dekel member to represent the unit, if the election cannot be held for outstanding reasons, such as the lack of a candidate.