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.