Profiles of the Jakarta City Council members

Profiles of the Jakarta City Council members

Despite the vote-buying allegations during the election of the
Jakarta Council speakers, the councillors pledged to work
together to fight against corruption in the council and to a
create better, more humane city for the residents. The Jakarta
Post's Bambang Nurbianto profiles the 75 councillors.

Ade Surapriatna
Speaker
Golkar Party
Place, date of birth: Jakarta, Nov. 7, 1951
Latest education: Undergraduate degree in politics from the 17
Agustus 1945 University, Jakarta
Wealth: Rp 5.79 Billion (US$643,757)

It must be emphasized here that the City Council speaker is not
the sole decision maker. All decisions must be passed by all
members.

I believe I will receive support from all members because we
have a common objective: working for the interests of Jakartans.

But for that to materialize, we have to be trusted by the
public.

The people will find us credible when they see how we focus on
the people's interests during the deliberation of the 2005 city
budget, and not in the interest of certain groups or even
personal interests of each councillor.

Ahmad Heryawan
Deputy speaker
The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS)
Place, date of birth: Sukabumi, West Jakarta, June 19, 1966
Latest Education: Undergraduate degree on syariah law from the
Institute of Islamic and Arabic Studies (LIPIA), Jakarta
Wealth: Rp 728 million

There are many problems that have to be addressed immediately
such as poverty, education, unemployment, law and order,
transportation, the environment, as well as health and garbage.

But my main concern is how to give all Jakartans access to
fulfill their basic needs. It means there will be no Jakartan who
is hungry. And no child will have to drop out of school.

Therefore, we will push the city administration to allot
significant funds to alleviate poverty. We'll see to that in the
2005 city budget.

We must also push the administration to create jobs by
facilitating people to run small businesses.

Another thing is that the administration must be able to send
children from poor families to school for free. We will encourage
the administration to allocate 20 percent of next year's budget
for education, as mandated by the Constitution.

Ilal Ferhard
Deputy speaker
The Democratic Party
Place, date of birth: Jakarta, Sept. 1, 1971
Latest education: American Institute of Management Studies
Wealth: Rp 970 million

I never made any promises during the election campaign. But as a
councillor or as a deputy speaker, I have a commitment to helping
people have a better living.

There are three problems which need to be addressed: law
supremacy, security and economy.

As you know, law enforcement and security personnel who do not
discriminated against certain groups are vital for Jakarta as the
capital city. Foreign investors and tourists want to come here,
but only if there is legal certainty and security.

We need foreign investors to employ a large number of jobless
people. We should attract as many foreign tourists/investors as
possible to boost economic growth.

The ultimate goal is to improve the welfare of all Jakartans.

Another crucial thing that needs to be solved is garbage. The
administration must find a way how to handle over 6,000 tons of
garbage daily.

Maringan Pangaribuan
Deputy speaker
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)
Place, date of birth: Medan, Oct. 28, 1954
Latest education: Undergraduate degree in economics from the
Institute of Economics (STIE) at Jagakarsa, Jakarta
Wealth: Rp 2.6 billion

Encouraging the development of small enterprises must become a
priority for the city administration during its five-year term. I
think it is the most reasonable way to create jobs as it is
unlikely to expect that we can attract investors to come here in
the near future.

Together with other councillors, I will push the
administration to formulate a way to facilitate the birth of more
new small enterprises.

As an example, the city has Bylaw No. 2/2003 on private
markets, which obliges property owners in shopping areas to
allocate 20 percent of their space for small- and medium-scale
enterprises.

The ruling has not been fully enforced yet because there has
been strong opposition from the building management association.

I think, from now on, we have to punish the offenders. If the
enforcement of the bylaw is successful, we will be able to create
a lot of jobs as many new shopping centers are now being
constructed.

We will also encourage the administration to drop tuition fees
for students of elementary and junior high schools in line with
the nine-year compulsory education policy.