Rp 5.1 million

Rp 5.1 million
per councillor?

From Suara Karya

Several members of the Jakarta legislature have reportedly
demanded a budget for official suits at Rp 5.1 million per
councillor. If this is true, the respectable members of the City
Council should feel ashamed for buying expensive suits amid the
difficult lives faced by most citizens under the protracted
economic crisis.

With the rainy season drawing ever close, it would be wiser to
spend the budget on preventative measures against floods in
Jakarta, which usually cause much strife and losses to the poor.

In the meantime, street children are neglected, victims of the
recent Marriott hotel bombing need assistance, workers are
dismissed, rivers in Jakarta remain polluted and traffic jams
continue to prevail.

I would like to appeal to Jakarta councillors to inspect the
capital's slum areas and use the fund for the purchase of aid
packages of basic necessities to help poor families.

TUTIEK W.
Jakarta