'Something untoward is going on'

'Something untoward is going on'

Critics have called the policy to disburse between Rp 15 million
and Rp 20 million a month each to Jakarta city councillors' in
housing allowances a glaring extravagance. The Jakarta Post asked
residents for their opinions about the issue.

Syaifulloh, 50, is a taxi driver. He lives with his family at
a rented home in Cililitan, East Jakarta, nearby his taxi
station:

Such an extravagance must be ended in this reform era. There
is no point to giving politicians lots of money. I don't think
they are too poor to afford a home and that they deserve to
obtain a hefty housing allowance from the city budget.

It would be much better if the allotted money was channeled to
the needy.

For me, such policy is simply a legacy of the New Order regime
who used hefty allowances as a common instrument to tame critical
and outspoken city councillors.

I observe that Sutiyoso's administration continues to give out
various generous allowances to the councillors to effectively
silence them. No wonder corruption among the administration
remains rampant.

Antonio, 26, is a dentist with a private company in Grogol,
West Jakarta. He lives in an apartment in Cengkareng, West
Jakarta:

I think councillors deserve neither housing allowance nor
other allowances from taxpayers' money.

This is because their performance is poor. The councillors'
role, what they actually do to help tackle the manifold problems
in the city remains unclear to me until now. The public still
witnesses a range of urban problems -- from traffic jams, damaged
roads, to the mounds of unprocessed garbage in the city.
Coucillors should show off their achievements first after dealing
with such problems before asking for allowances.

Executives must end the tradition of giving out allowances to
legislators. Taxpayers' money should be used for other purposes,
which have greater benefit to the residents in general.

It looks like something untoward is going on if the
administration takes out funds from the city coffers in order to
give the councillors allowances.

--The Jakarta Post