PDI-P reluctantly endorses city budget

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) endorsed the Jakarta Administration budget for 2001 on Monday, albeit reluctantly.

The PDI-P faction, which walked out of the City Council plenary session when it endorsed the budget on Dec. 30, has already notified the council leadership of its decision, faction chairman Audy I.Z. Tambunan told reporters.

"We finally approved the validity of the plenary session's decision because we realized that the administration must continue to function," Audy said.

While giving its formal approval, the faction still could not accept the budget on moral grounds, he said, emphasizing the fact that the budget calls for greater spending on city officials than on the needs of the residents.

He said the decision to endorse the budget came after the faction members met with the PDI-P Jakarta executive board.

PDI-P's endorsement, while important, is largely academic as the budget, which sets the administration spending in 2001 at Rp 7.49 trillion ($788 million), came into effect on Jan. 1.

The budget, which calls for recurrent expenditures of Rp 4.98 trillion and development expenditures of Rp 2.51 trillion, was approved by nine of the 11 factions in the Council on Dec. 30.

The PDI-P faction, which with 30 members is the largest, walked out of the session. The other faction to withhold its endorsement was the Justice and Unity Party (PKP).

PDI-P has accused the administration of ignoring the needs of the people by proposing an amount for routine spending larger than what it intends to spend on the public.

Audy said the faction would tighten its supervision of the administration's spending, but it cannot be held responsible should anyone later complain about the budget.

He cited the administration's fund for handling drugs problems, which appeared in at least three sections in the budget, from health, public security and order to legal affairs.

"This is double-counting, and it will elicit questions from the community. We will not be responsible for cases like that," he said.

Regarding PDI-P's demand for Council chairman Edi Waluyo to resign in connection with his handling of the city budget, Audy said the faction would consult with the PDI-P Jakarta executive board as well as the party's central executive board.

"We have to consult the central executive board, because it has the final say," he added. (04)