Some councillors 'do not know what they are talking about'

Some councillors 'do not know what they are talking about'

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso took a swipe at city councillors on Tuesday,
saying they did not always know what they were talking about.

"Sometimes they do not understand the issues. So do not write
down their comments because it only confuses things," Sutiyoso
told journalists.

Sutiyoso was commenting on a statement by a councillor who
said the City Council would stop deliberating the 2006 draft
budget due to the sluggish process of infrastructure development
in the capital.

According to the draft budget, as of September 2005 only 25
percent of the funds allocated for infrastructure projects
in the 2005 fiscal year, which runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, had
been disbursed.

The draft budget was submitted by Sutiyoso to the City Council
for deliberation late last month. It is currently being finalized
by the council.

This was the first time that Sutiyoso has been publicly
critical of the councillors, who were voted into the council in a
direct election in 2004.

Sutiyoso was first appointed governor in 1997 during the
regime of former president Soeharto. He was reelected by the City
Council in 2002 and his term will end in 2007. He is not eligible
for reelection.

Sutiyoso rarely comments on statements from councillors and if
he does comment it is usually off the record.

It is not unusual during hearings for councillors to
inadvertently draw big laughs by making statements that are
completely out of context.

One councillor has gained a reputation for speaking out on
issues on which he obviously has very little knowledge.

This councillor is often quoted in newspapers because he
frequently demands that Sutiyoso dismiss officials based on
unconfirmed reports of corruption.

"If I responded to those kinds of comment, I would go crazy,"
Sutiyoso said recently when asked if he would dismiss an official
who was the subject of corruption rumors.

Responding to Sutiyoso's swipe, the head of the Democratic
Party faction at the City Council, Johny Wenas Polii, said on
Tuesday statements by councillors were always based on careful
consideration of the issues.

"Sutiyoso's comment is regrettable. As the chief of the
executive body, he must be careful about what he says," Johny
told The Jakarta Post.