Planned allowances for RT, RW heads rebuked

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.