Deputy governor post to be filled

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso said on Friday that he would appoint one of his subordinates as deputy governor for economic and financial affairs as the position has been vacant for about six months.

Sutiyoso said the plan was made because the city budget for the 1999/2000 fiscal year was expected to be bigger than the current budget. This would mean an increase in the duties of the unfilled position, temporarily being handled by deputy governor for development affairs Budihardjo Sukmadi.

"We need someone who will concentrate on the economic and financial issues," the governor said.

"One thing for sure is that the position will be held by a civil servant (and not an official from the Armed Forces). I have instructed officials from the position and stratification advisory body to process the candidacy," he said.

However, he refused to give details on the possible candidates and the date for the announcement of the candidacy. "The body will work hard to choose one name," was all he said.

Sutiyoso said that once someone was nominated, the administration would submit the nominee to the City Council for approval and then the Ministry of Home Affairs.

"I hope there will no longer be any kind of intervention from 'above'," he said.

Several senior city officials rumored to be eligible for the vacant position are: Maskup Ustianto, head of the city investment management agency; Bambang Sungkono, head of the city development planning board; Sutardjianto, head of the city inspectorate office and Fauzi Bowo, the city secretary.

In August last year, after then deputy governor for economic and financial affairs Harun Rasyid was promoted to governor of West Nusa Tenggara, Sutiyoso decided that the position would remain vacant for efficiency considerations.

However, the decision drew mixed reactions from city councilors, who insisted that the governor of such a big capital city, beset by various complicated problems, be assisted by four deputies to enable them to fully concentrate on their respective areas in details.

But Sutiyoso insisted at that time: "If the city used to have only one deputy governor for both economic and development affairs, why don't we do the same now?"

The city administration previously had three deputy governors for social welfare, administrative affairs and economic and development affairs.

In September 1997, the economic and development affairs position was split into two -- economic and financial affairs and development affairs -- by then governor Surjadi Soedirdja.

Separately, head of the City Council Edy Waluyo told reporters on Friday that the council would wait for the results of the advisory body's work.

Meanwhile, head of City Council's Commission C for financial affairs Amarullah Asbah confirmed that the 1999/2000 budget fro the capital would increase from Rp 1.75 trillion at present to about Rp 2.5 trillion.

The increase, he said, was made possible by the intensified collection of taxes on transfer of vehicle ownership and fuel.

"We are optimistic that the city revenue projection would exceed the target due to the successful intensification project," he said. (ind)