Experts says councillors don't deserve pay rise
Experts says councillors don't deserve pay rise
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
City Councillors' demand for a salary increase and more benefits
earned criticism from experts on Saturday, who told councillors
to improve their performance before asking for a salary increase.
Urban planning expert Yayat Supriyatna of Trisakti University
said on Saturday that the councillors should assess their
performance first before asking for a pay rise and more
facilities from the state.
According to Yayat, city councillors do not deserve an
increase in their monthly salary and facilities due to their poor
legislative performance.
The councillors have passed three bylaws since they were sworn
in last year, despite their promise to approve at least three
bylaws every month.
Aside from their poor record in legislation, current
difficulties such as soaring oil prices in the international
market and the weakening of the rupiah meant the request was
badly timed.
"In such circumstances, I think it is also not appropriate for
councillors to ask for better facilities and higher salaries,"
Yayat told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
City Council Speaker Ade Surapriatna said that they would not
discuss the city's 2006 budget if President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono did not revise Presidential Decree No. 24/2004 on
protocol and financial matters for leaders and members of the
regional councils (DPRD), which rules salaries and facilities for
councillors.
Ade was asking the central government to provide official
vehicles and housing allowances for councillor members,
operational funds for leaders of legislative councils and better
health insurances for all councillors.
Uchok Sky Khadafi of the Indonesian Forum for Budget
Transparency Jakarta chapter (Fitra Jakarta) agreed with Yayat
and added that councillors had earned adequate facilities and
income from the state.
"Their basic salary may be small, but their total income is
high enough. They can buy their own car from their own earnings,"
he told the Post on Saturday.
He said the councillors should think about the fate of people
in the low-income bracket, who would be seriously affected by the
government's plan to eliminate the fuel subsidy and not just
think about their own interests.
According to Gubernatorial Decree No. 17/2005 issued as a
directive for Presidential Decree No. 24/2005, Jakarta
councillors receive a monthly housing allowance of Rp 20 million
for leaders and Rp 15 million for members.
With a basic salary of Rp 3 million, city councillors earn
between Rp 18 million and Rp 23 million per month.
Aside from their monthly income, councillors also receive a
monthly stipend ranging from Rp 130,000 to Rp 326,250 for
deliberating bylaws. Each councillor (leader or member) will
receive a daily allowance of Rp 250,000 during official out-of-
town trips.
For official visits within Jakarta, councillors will receive
Rp 1 million for council speaker, Rp 900,000 for deputies and Rp
750,000 for members in transportation allowance.
Yayat also criticized the use of threats by councillors to
force the government to fulfill their demands.
"I think they have used an improper approach to fight for
their own rights. Threats and intimidation are usually employed
by thugs, not councillors," Yayat said.