DKI budget

DKI budget

From Warta Kota

Basically, the budget of a region explains the working program
of the regional administration concerned for a one-year term. By
looking at the scheme of the program the community can be made
aware of the vision, perception, awareness and sensitivity of the
regional functionaries toward the various societal issues that
need to be addressed.

In this context, the Jakarta administration has submitted the
draft budget for the year 2000 to the regional council. The draft
budget, however, has drawn protest from the community, and, to my
mind, such protest is justified.

For instance, the 2000 draft budget clearly states that the
allocation for traveling expenses for officials and counselors is
set at the fantastic amount of Rp 23.138 billion (an increase of
179 percent compared to the amount of the previous year). Whereas
supportive funds for compulsory education only get Rp 3 billion.
These figures clearly indicate that the future of the nation gets
every little attention and is regarded only as a complementary
sector in the eyes of the budget programmers.

I wonder how low the level the officials' consciousness is in
that they did not hesitate to be extravagant at the cost of the
people's suffering. It is no secret that officials have used
their traveling expenses not only for official purposes. Often
they have been paid to witness international matches abroad,
where Indonesian athletes were involved.

The budget also allocates funds for people's welfare amounting
to Rp 10.030 billion and for Idul Fitri packages Rp 9.154
billion. I wish the community would be more critical of this
budgeting policy. I wonder what is the significance of such huge
funds for the people's welfare and the Idul Fitri package. The
counselors who represent the interests of the people should be
reminded of the need to heed the people's aspirations and basic
necessities such as the empowerment of common people's economy,
improvement of public facilities, medical care, etc. that are
often not mentioned in the priority scale.

PAULUS LONDO

Jakarta