Legalized vote-buying?

Legalized vote-buying?

With the debate about Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso's annual
budget speech due to enter the voting stage later next month,
some perennial issues such as vote-buying, graft, bribery and
corruption are once again becoming hot topics of public debate
and speculation among Jakarta's citizenry. After all, whether
rightly or wrongly, public observation and personal knowledge
gained over the past decades has convinced most Indonesians that
vote-buying is standard practice in political procedures in this
country, and in the capital city in particular.

Sadly, it must be said that the city officials, both in the
administration and in the legislature, or City Council, have only
themselves to blame for this lamentable state of affairs. Last
week, for example, Azas Tigor Nainggolan, who is the chairman of
the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta), a non-governmental
organization, revealed to the press that a number of councillors
had been offered Rp 35 million (US$3,500) each in return for
accepting Governor Sutiyoso's budget speech, scheduled for March
27.

Naturally, Sutiyoso has denied the allegation. Downplaying the
April vote as a "regular event", the governor said that he would
not bother suing the "slanderers". And even if his speech is
rejected by the council, it would take more time and effort to
oust him from his post. In such an event, an independent team
would be set up comprising officials of the Ministry of Home
Affairs, observers and academicians to evaluate the rejection.

No doubt, the initial rejection and subsequent acceptance of
his budget speech for 2000, after some revision plus the
provision of sedans for councillors, is still fresh in the
governor's mind. In any case, Sutiyoso makes no bones about the
Jakarta city administration having allocated additional fees for
the councillors, using money taken from the target surplus of the
city vehicle tax revenue because "the city bylaw states that
giving the money is legal".

As indeed it does. According to this particular city bylaw,
the city police, the Jakarta Military Command and City Council
are entitled to 1 percent of the tax revenue surplus because they
are considered to play a vital role in increasing the city's
revenue. This, though, is a sensitive point that is sure to
become a bone of contention and a subject of much criticism from
the public once it becomes widely known.

What, after all, is so exceptionally vital about the
accomplishments of a city councillor that he or she is worth a
monthly payment that is way beyond the income of the average
Jakarta citizen? Besides their monthly salaries, which is Rp 7
million plus allowances, councillors are given extra honorary
fees for attending certain sessions. These can reach amounts that
can be considered as extravagant by the standards of the average
Jakartan -- as much as Rp 50 million for attending events such as
the governor's budget speech. This is not to mention other
benefits such as private housing and cars.

With all this in mind, Jakarta's citizens are bracing
themselves for October, when Governor Sutiyoso is scheduled to
deliver his accountability speech to close off his five-year term
as governor of Jakarta. Rumors and speculation are already rife,
given the fact that Governor Sutiyoso is eyeing a second term in
office notwithstanding his external indifference on the matter.

Be that as it may, it is not quite fair to blame the governor
alone for the state of affairs in the Jakarta City Council. The
councillors too must share the blame, since after all it is they
who pass the city's laws and bylaws. It is within their authority
and it is their responsibility to prevent any regulations, laws
and bylaws from being passed that do not take the public's
interests at heart. Not until this is achieved can the Jakarta
City Council pride itself on being a genuine instrument of
reform.