Democracy is still long way off for Jakarta

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When Governor Sutiyoso's tenure expires in 2007, the city will hold a direct election to choose his successor. But democracy appears to still be a long way off with legislators turning a deaf ear to public demands that direct elections be held for Jakarta's mayors and regent as well.

In a proposed bill concerning Jakarta's status as the special capital territory, the governor still retains the right to appoint the Jakarta's five mayors and one regent, making it the only province in the nation where mayors and regents are not directly elected by the people.

Mayors and regents in other provinces are now chosen in direct elections, thanks to amendments to Law No. 32/2004 on regional administration.

The bill, drafted by legislators and submitted to the House of Representatives for deliberation in June, also wants the Jakarta governor to have up to four deputies and to have the right to attend Cabinet meetings that discuss issues pertaining to Jakarta.

The draft, however, also wants the city administration to give more power and authority to municipalities in order to improve public services.

Jakarta has five municipalities -- Central Jakarta, East Jakarta, West Jakarta, North Jakarta and South Jakarta -- and one regency -- the Thousand Islands, which the draft also recommends be made into a municipality.

A number of city leaders and observers demanded earlier that legislators amend the law and place autonomy powers at the municipality and regency level instead of the province as it was the case now.

An autonomous municipality or regency would allow the territory to have its own Legislative Council, whose members would be directly elected by the people.

According to a World Bank study, public services in regions are better now after the implementation of regional autonomy in 2000.

Governor Sutiyoso stressed earlier that decentralization in Jakarta must remain at the provincial level because the borders of each municipality in the capital were not very clear.

"If Jakarta is split into autonomous municipalities, it would be difficult to integrate developments in the city," he said.

Other changes introduced in the draft include direct gubernatorial elections, expansion in the number of City Council members from 75 to 100, the change in status of the Thousand Islands administration from a regency to a municipality, and the replacement of Subdistrict Councils (Dekel) with the Subdistrict Leaders Forum (LMK).