RT, RW do not act on behalf of people, experts say

RT, RW do not act on behalf of people, experts say

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It is difficult to expect democracy to develop from the grass
roots because the authorities have held a firm grip on the power
of leaders of both neighborhood and community units, experts said
on Wednesday.

The government had apparently treated neighborhood units (RT)
and community units (RW) as informal organizations at the grass
roots and as their subordinates, they said.

"It can be seen in Jakarta, where interference of the city
administration with RT and RW leaders is stipulated by a bylaw,"
said Paulus Aramaholette, chairman of the Jakarta Legal Aid
Institute (LBH), during a discussion on the role of the RT and
RW.

He referred to Bylaw No. 5/2000 on Subdistrict Councils
(Dekel), which says that RT and RW are organizations supervised
by the government. They also have a function to smooth the
government's way with the community.

Paulus said the task of RT and RW, as stipulated in the bylaw,
was contradictory to their function as informal organizations,
which were expected to become the lowest-level democratic
organizations.

Activist of the Community for Participatory Social Management
(RPSM) M.M. Billah, said that the original concept of RT and RW
was introduced by the Japanese military administration during
their occupation of the country between 1942 and 1945. The RT and
RW were established as a tool for the Japanese to control
civilians.

Each RT is comprised of 30 families to 60 families while each
RW consists of eight RT to 16 RT.

Billah said it was impossible to expect democracy to start
from the grass roots because any political party in power had
always maintained the Japanese concept in dealing with RT and RW.

"The government has always dominated or imposed its wishes, in
the name of development, on the community," he said.

Head of the community unit at Pondok Kopi subdistrict, East
Jakarta, Muhammad Widayat, said officials in the subdistrict had
always treated leaders of RT and RW in their area as their
subordinates.

"Although RT and RW are informal organizations, which have no
structural connection with the subdistrict, the head of the
subdistrict at my place still requests our help to carry out his
duties, including collecting taxes from the public," he said in
the discussion.

Law No. 34/1999 on Jakarta as a special administration and law
No. 22/1999 on regional administration stipulate that subdistrict
and village administrations are at the bottom of the government
hierarchy.

RT and RW are not included within the administrative
structure.

Widayat also stated that leaders of RT and RW had always been
used by the ruling party to garner support from the public.

"It's common knowledge that leaders of RT and RW became
political tools of the former ruling Golkar party and that
approach has always been adopted by the ruling party in the
city," he said.

Widayat criticized universities and other research centers for
paying no attention to RT and RW, which have become a reality in
the society.

"So far, there has been no formal study carried out on the
role of RT and RW, although they have become part of society.
Studies would be useful in examining the various problems faced
by RT and RW, including the possibility of revising their roles,"
he said.

Subdistrict council member from Penjaringan, North Jakarta,
Diding Ireng Chairuddin questioned the relevance of both the RT's
and RW's role in modern society.

He agreed with Widayat that there should be a thorough study
on RT and RW before any decision were made.

"We must know if urban people really need the RT and RW. If
they don't, we should be courageous enough to abolish them."