I listened to the people: Sutiyoso

I listened to the people: Sutiyoso

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso admitted on Monday that his
decision to rescind the appointment of four of the five Armed
Forces (ABRI) members as high-ranking city administration
officials was made in response to public demand.

"I decided to cancel the appointment of the four military
members after I listened to all the input, including from the
public. I hope it will it will satisfy people," he said.

The four ABRI personnel, whose names and ranks have never been
disclosed, were initially appointed as heads of the city land
transportation agency, the city sanitation agency, the city
parking agency and the civilian defense unit's provincial
headquarters.

On Thursday Sutiyoso, who himself is an active Army lieutenant
general, was still strongly defending the appointment of the five
military members, saying that the decision was taken about two
years ago.

However, the plan to fill hive of seven vacant senior
positions with people with a military background has been
criticized. Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs Abdul
Kahfi announced that the administration would reduce the number
of ABRI officers in line with the results of the Special Session
of the People's Consultative Assembly, which advocated the
gradual reduction of the number of military members in the
Assembly.

Sutiyoso installed on Monday eight new senior officials at the
City Hall, not seven as initially announced.

One military

Three of the newly installed officials were Dody Sudarno, the
head of the city's social and political affairs directorate,
Syahris Tanjung, the head of the city-owned market management
firm PD Pasar Jaya, and Albert Napitupulu, the head of the
Jakarta office of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPMD).

Sutiyoso also installed Samsul Hilatana as the head of the
city office of the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small
Enterprises, and directors of four city-run hospitals: Zulrasdi
Djairas at Haji Hospital in East Jakarta, Umar Wahid at Pasar
Rebo Hospital in East Jakarta, Abdul Chalik Masulili at Koja
Hospital in North Jakarta and Martin Bimbuain at Tarakan Hospital
in Central Jakarta.

Of the eight new officials, only one, Dody Sudarno, has
military background; he was a colonel in the Jakarta Military
Command.

Sutiyoso refused on Monday to give further details as to when
the four positions he meant to fill with the three other posts,
would be filled.

"I will settle the process first before determining the right
decision," he said.

However, the governor said that the decision did not mean that
the administration no longer needed the presence of the ABRI
members.

He said that in the future he would appoint employees to hold
certain positions based not on their background but on
performance.

"I will consider professionalism when appointing new city
officials."

"For certain posts like the city civilian defense unit and the
city land transportation agency someone with an ABRI background
is still needed as the two organizations have similarities with
the military.

"The heads of the two agencies, for instance, need to have
access to the city police and the city military command," he
added. (ind)