Observers want more public accountability

JAKARTA (JP): Observers have urged more public participation in every part of the decision-making process in the city administration and council so that every policy adopted by the city government would be transparent and accountable to the public.

Speaking in a discussion on Wednesday, sociopolitical observer Chusnul Mariyah and sociologist Paulus Wiratama from the University of Indonesia said it was important to absorb as many public demands and interests as possible in every decision made by the city.

"We need participatory democracy, because the general public has the right to join in the process of decision-making as every decision will affect the lives of the people," Chusnul said during the discussion which was broadcast live by Radio Elshinta.

She said some concerned groups such as non-governmental organizations and certain community groups should be invited to hearings between the city administration and councillors in the making of, for example, city bylaws.

"By participating in the decision-making process, we can identify councillors who may have been influenced by money or other benefits provided by the city administration," Chusnul said.

She was referring to the current public furor on the payment of bonuses by the administration to the city's 85 councillors, along with the allocation of large funds for the purchase of their official cars and subsidies for the purchase of private cars, all paid for out of the city budget.

According to Chusnul, the idea of seeking public participation did not mean that councillors lacked competence to represent Jakartans.

"We all can see that the current councillors have yet to show their credibility to their constituents or to the people, so we need some organizations to assist them in making decisions," she said.

Paulus Wiratama said that another option in getting public participation in decision-making is to resurrect the old idea of subdistrict councils in the capital which would consist of the most respected people in their respective localities.

"It is very important to have the subdistrict councils so that the city administration is fully under the control of the people and every decision is made based on advantage for the general public," he said.

The idea to establish subdistrict councils surfaced earlier this year. However, the plan was put on hold for "technical reasons".

The city council proposed the direct election of the council members. However, Law No.22/1999 vests full authority in the subdistrict chiefs.

"We have to encourage real civil society and giving as much space for the people to express their opinions in the decision- making process will be better because, so far it has been obvious that the city administration has yet to serve the public interest," he added.

In response, Council Deputy Speaker Tarmidi Suhardjo, who attended the discussion, said the city council has vowed to meet the general public's demands and has formed a special team to go to every subdistrict in the capital and listen directly to the people's complaints.

"The team has been set up and we will start our visits around the capital in November," he said.(dja)