Governor Surjadi reflects on 'humanitarian mission'
Governor Surjadi reflects on 'humanitarian mission'
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's message for the Jakarta
governor to improve Jakartan's welfare is a humanitarian mission,
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said yesterday.
In his address to the City Council's extraordinary plenary
session to commemorate Jakarta's 470th anniversary, Surjadi
reflected on the President's messages when installing him as
governor in 1992.
He said the first message was to make Jakarta equal with the
world's major cities. The second was to improve people's welfare.
"This (the second message) touches the deepest conscience of
humanity. I took it as a humanitarian mission to raise the
dignity of Jakarta's people," Surjadi said.
To realize both messages, "I have prioritized silaturahmi
(meeting to strengthen ties) with Jakartans," he said.
The policies and planning of city development were also based
on the messages, he said, including a nine-point strategic plan,
his determination to make the capital a service city and his
weekly visits to subdistricts.
"My office is only able to accommodate 30 percent of people's
requests (to meet me) so I take the initiative to directly meet
Jakartans on Friday and Sunday morning to know their problems and
find the solution," Surjadi said.
On his Sunday visits, Surjadi takes along businesspeople to
meet and talk with the poor. "The visit is intended to show
attention and care to people of low economic level," he said.
"I tell people they are not alone in facing life's challenges
in the capital. I knock on the hearts of entrepreneurs to help
our less fortunate brothers and sisters."
Surjadi said yesterday's plenary session was special.
"This is the last year of my office term," he said. His term
ends Oct. 6, which can be extended according to a 1974 government
regulation.
He said people's annual income per capita had increased from
Rp 5.8 million in 1993 to Rp 8.5 million in 1996.
The percentage of people living below the poverty line
decreased from 5.65 percent in 1993 to 2.48 percent last year, he
said.
The infant mortality rate decreased from 32 per 1,000 live
births in 1993 to 28 per 1,000 live births in 1997.
The city's regional income has increased by 169.81 percent,
from Rp 753 billion in fiscal 1992/1993 to Rp 2.03 trillion in
1997/1998.
The city budget increased by 128.35 percent from Rp 1.47
trillion in 1992/1993 to Rp 3.36 trillion in 1997/1998.
Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. ruled out
suggestions to appoint a minister for Greater Jakarta.
He was responding to an issue initially raised by former state
minister of environment Emil Salim, who stressed the need for a
governor with a ministerial level to administer Greater Jakarta.
Surjadi said there should be one authority to protect water
catchments in border areas, as one way to prevent floods.
He acknowledged many commuters were from West Java.
"But it's not an easy job to form a new department... Some
people would refuse if their area (in West Java) was included
into the Jakarta municipality," Yogie said.
Yesterday Yogie also ruled out proposals from Golkar, the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the United Development
Party to increase City Council seats from 75 to 100.
"According to the regulation, each council seat represents
200,000 Jakartans. So if the council has 100 seats, Jakarta's
population should be 20 million, but now it's 9.8 million. It's
(the addition of seats) not necessary yet," he said.
Former governor Ali Sadikin was among the session's
attendants.
Walkout
The meeting was marred by a walkout of 11 out of 13 members of
the PDI faction.
Ismunandar, the faction's advisor and a council deputy, said
the unplanned action was purely "out of solidarity".
He said faction members disapproved the council's protocol
official request that a member, Sri Umi Sutjipto, better known as
Maya, leave the meeting on request of the City Council Speaker's
wife.
"We can't accept the request to force our colleagues out of
the meeting because of a `personal matter'. She has the right to
be in the meeting," Ismunandar said.
The Speaker's wife, S. Renyda Ritonga, denied she had made
such a request. Rumors say relations between her and Maya are
tense.
"Who am I? I'm only Mrs. Ritonga... I don't have any right to
do so. Only Pak Yogie can do so."
Speaker Ritonga said he did not know about PDI's absence in
the meeting.
"But they are entitled not to attend the meeting, because this
is not a meeting where council members must decide something and
where the number of attendants should reach the quorum," Ritonga
said. He said he would not question PDI on their action. (ste)