'Do councillors deserve allowances?'

The Jakarta administration has finally agreed to give councillors a monthly housing allowance of between Rp 15 million and Rp 20 million as they had requested. The Jakarta Post asked residents for their opinions about the issue.

Erwinsyah, 24, is a tax consultant at a firm in South Jakarta. He lives in Tebet, also in South Jakarta:

I totally disagree with the policy to give councillors that much money.

Do they really deserve the housing allowance?

I once audited a budget for government offices outside of Jakarta. They receive a smaller salary compared to civil servants in Jakarta, of course. A mayor of a city in East Java for instance, has a fixed salary of less than Rp 5 million a month.

My point is that most Jakarta councillors already have their own house, so why do they need housing allowance?

Why doesn't the Jakarta administration just build them a housing complex where they can stay during duty?

Nova Ari Wibowo, 25, once worked as an area supervisor for a telecommunications firm in Jakarta. The Bekasi resident is presently looking for a job:

It is absolutely unacceptable that councillors receive a Rp 15 million housing allowance. It's too much.

From what I see they haven't even got the competency to represent us. What have they done to give us a better life in this city?

I would suggest that they be given Rp 15 million as their total monthly take-home pay, including a housing allowance and other benefits. Not a cent more. Most of them have other occupations that has already made them rich enough.

--The Jakarta Post