Enduring Sutiyoso

Enduring Sutiyoso

The Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) voted to endorse the
leadership of Governor Sutiyoso on Friday, even though many of
its members had a variety of reservations about his performance
in 2001. Residents of Jakarta are thus condemned to endure life
under Sutiyoso's governorship, with all its shortcomings and ugly
consequences, at least for a few more months.

The Council has the power to replace Sutiyoso before his term
ends if it deems that he is not performing to expectations. The
process of requiring the governor to submit an annual report to
the Council is intended to ensure that whoever heads the city
administration is held accountable for his action, or inaction.

Sadly, the Council appears to be reluctant to exercise this
democratic option. The major factions in the Council virtually
ignored public sentiment about Sutiyoso's failings, and accepted
his annual report, albeit after a vote.

Jakarta residents have plenty of reason to gripe about
Sutiyoso this past year because the city was virtually heading
toward total breakdown. Traffic congestion is getting worse,
public services are deteriorating, widespread corruption in the
administration is not dealt with, the air and rivers have become
more polluted, garbage was left uncollected for weeks, the crime
rate is soaring and many others things, enough to suggest that
something must be done quickly.

Replacing the governor is certainly the way forward because he
has failed the residents. He bears the responsibility for many of
Jakarta's illnesses.

It is therefore disturbing to learn that the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the largest
faction in the Council, endorsed Sutiyoso's speech even while
having reservations, on the grounds that he had only a few more
months in office before the governorship election in October.

That is tantamount to saying that Jakarta residents can endure
-- "suffer" is perhaps a better term -- a few more months of
Sutiyoso's incompetence. Jakartans have suffered enough, and so
much could happen between now and October that it is simply
unthinkable that PDI Perjuangan was willing to risk it.

Bizarre perhaps, but not entirely surprising. After all, we
live in a country where almost anything is possible, especially
when it comes to the question of national leadership.

This is a country where the House of Representatives speaker
roams free and leads the institution while he faces graft
charges. This is a country where the central bank governor is a
convicted felon, but is still dictating the direction of
Indonesia's monetary policy. Why shouldn't Sutiyoso, with all his
incompetence and poor track record, be allowed to continue to
govern this city of nine million to 12 million people?

Jakarta, with all its complex problems, deserves a much better
governor. Members of the Jakarta Legislative Council, who are now
suggesting that residents are prepared to settle for something
less, are betraying the trust vested in them by the public.

At times, it looks suspiciously conspiratorial that Sutiyoso
has been able to remain in office this long, even if he, in the
eyes of many Council members, was failing in his job. The Council
has had more than one occasion to put Sutiyoso on the spot. It
has taken the trouble to look into his failings and raise them
with the public, only to let him off the hook ultimately.

The same thing happened in the way the Council deliberated the
governor's speech accounting for his 2001 performance. After
raising a storm about his performance, the Council endorsed his
speech of accountability and let him keep his job. If there was
indeed collusion between the governor and the Council, God forbid
what will happen in the October governorship election.

Whatever the real story behind Friday's endorsement of
Sutiyoso's speech, this episode has strengthened the argument for
a direct election system in choosing the governor. The existing
indirect system, by which the City Legislative Council conducts
the nomination and election process, is vulnerable to collusion.

A direct election system will ensure greater accountability on
the part of the elected governor to the people, and that, if he
fails in his job, the voters will have a chance to oust him. It
leaves little room for second- or even third-rate leaders to hold
such an important job that affects our lives. Besides, we just
cannot trust our politicians any more to do the right thing when
it comes to electing the governor.