New 'senator' to empower proletariat
New 'senator' to empower proletariat
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Modest, consistent and reliable were claims that Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja made of himself in his campaign prior to the April
5 election for members of the Regional Representatives Council
(DPD) from Jakarta.
Stickers carrying his face and slogan could be found in every
Kosti Jaya taxi as he acts as an advisor to the taxi company. His
rally at the Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, Central
Jakarta, was attended by more than 1,000 taxi drivers from Kosti
Jaya, among others.
Sarwono claimed that his experiences in empowering shoemakers
in Cibaduyut, Bandung, and Kosti taxi drivers in Jakarta,
Surakarta and Semarang, would help him empower the people to
support his programs in education, health and social welfare.
Citing an example, he mentioned a man who had provided
financial aid for a third party who was in dire need but unable
to apply for a formal bank loan.
"I will build a system whereby all constituents can share
information on their resources. They will help each other through
the system," he said.
From 1968 to 1970, Sarwono helped Cibaduyut shoemakers to set
up a cooperative, while from 1988 to 1993 he helped set up
farmers cooperatives in Cirebon and Bekasi, West Java.
Just days after he garnered the most votes for Jakarta member
of the DPD, along with Mooryati Soedibyo, Biem Triani Benjamin
and Marwan Batubara, Sarwono was keenly discussing various urban
problems with his campaign officials.
"I'm a man with power, therefore I must do something for those
that put their trust in me," he told The Jakarta Post recently.
While the election law only says DPD members should meet once
a year, Sarwono has other plans.
"If I just stick to my official job, as stipulated by the law,
I will be unproductive. I know there is a lot of work to do," he
said.
With 17 years of experience as a member of the House of
Representatives (DPR), Sarwono knows too well that the newly
establish DPD needs bigger authority when it teams up with the
DPR for the People's Legislative Assembly (MPR).
"For the time being, I can't talk much about it. I still have
to consult with experts on constitutional law to determine what
kind of authority the DPD could have," he said.
The amended 1945 Constitution entrusts DPD members with the
right to initiate legislation on regional autonomy, relations
between the central and regional administrations, the
establishment of autonomous regions, resource management and
revenue-sharing between the central and regional administrations.
To help the four members of the DPD in responding to the
complaints of constituents, it had earlier been proposed that the
city administration would establish a joint secretariat with the
DPD.
"Our service to our constituents is not clearly outlined in
the regulation. Therefore, we need a legal basis such as a bylaw
for the establishment of the secretariat," he said.