Planned allowances for RT, RW heads rebuked

Damar Harsanto and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Members of both the high- and low-income communities frowned upon the city administration's plan to provide allowances for the heads of community units (RW) and neighborhood units (RT): the rich felt insulted as the allowances were too small, while the poor said it would be better to allocate the money towards the needy.

The allowances, as much as Rp 200,000 (US$23) a month for community unit heads and Rp 150,000 for neighborhood unit heads, total some Rp 61 billion for the year, and will be drawn from the 2003 city budget.

Suwandi, a neighborhood unit head at the Kelapa Gading Housing Estate in North Jakarta blasted the allowance as it belittled his voluntary works for the people in the neighborhood.

"What can we do with such meager amount of money? It's simply humiliating for us. Besides, the money will only spark questions and doubts from other residents. We won't accept it," Suwandi told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Suwandi said that every month, each resident contributed Rp 100,000 towards security and sanitation. This means that out of over 600 families living in the complex, the total funds gathered from residents alone hovers at a hefty Rp 60 million.

A number of residents in the South Grogol subdistrict of Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, objected to the administration's plan for a different reason.

Ida, a widow of 60, said that neighborhood heads and community heads do not deserve the allowances because it is the residents who most need the administration's attention.

Voicing a similar opinion, Lilis, 56, told the Post, "Rather than giving the money to Pak RT, it is much better to allocate it into a safety net program for the residents' welfare."

She said although her neighborhood head, Asmali, doesn't receive a salary for his work in helping the residents procure public services, people always gave him gratuities.

Separately, Asmali, head of RT 5/RW 10 of South Grogol, South Jakarta, said he welcomed the allowance as recognition from the administration for those "who work without rewards."

He claimed that he had been told by RW 10 chief Nachrowi that all the five RT heads would receive honorariums, but that the exact amount had yet to be decided.

Asmali, an elementary school graduate, is now unemployed after his home industry went bankrupt two years ago. The workshop and shop, which were adjacent to his house, were developed into ten rental units. In a month, he collects a total of Rp 1 million (US$112) from his tenants.

The neighborhood is home to 50 families, many of them widows with children. Most of the residents are unskilled workers and street vendors. Asmali said he often covered the RT's expenses from his own pocket, because only 30 families were able to pay the monthly dues of Rp 6,000.

Meanwhile, urban observer Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto lambasted the city administration's idea, saying these allowances would weaken community ties instead of boosting it, as most community leaders work as unpaid volunteers, and were thus independent of any interference from the city administration.

"RT and RW heads are now believed to be representatives of the people, mainly those at the grassroots level. Most of them have been democratically elected by the residents to give voice to the community's concerns," Tubagus said.

If those community leaders received allowances from the administration, Tubagus said, they would be less independent as they would face psychological pressures to refrain from criticizing the administration, in cases when the residents were at odds with the administration's policies.

Instead of granting such personal allowances, Tubagus said, it would be better off for community building efforts if residents discussed their contributions to shoulder costs needed for community activities.

"Regardless of how meager the amount of contribution, it is important for developing the community," Tubagus said.