Subdistrict council membership open to all residents: Councillor
Subdistrict council membership open to all residents: Councillor
JAKARTA (JP): Membership of subdistrict councils is open to
all city residents, including those who are active members of
political parties, a councillor said on Friday.
"There is no regulation preventing members of a political
party from being elected to a subdistrict council," Councillor A.
Rahman of the United Development Party (PPP) faction told
reporters.
He was commenting on a recent statement by Deputy Governor for
Development Affairs Budihardjo Soekmadi that residents should
elect "independent" public figures, and not members of political
parties, as council members.
"If he (Budihardjo) really said that, he must never have read
the city administration's regulations," Rahman, who is also a
member of the City Council's Commission A on government affairs,
said.
The councillor said, quoting from City Bylaw No. 5/2000 on
Subdistrict Councils, that such councils should consist of people
drawn from all community groups, even those with political
affiliations.
The bylaw also provides that any party member elected to a
subdistrict council should represent himself or herself, not his
or her party, Rahman said.
"It's obvious that any members of the community can be elected
to a council. So, residents should ignore the deputy governor's
statement," he said.
City Bylaw No. 5/2000 stipulates that every subdistrict in
Jakarta should have a subdistrict council to function as a bridge
between the people and the local authority.
Rahman said that people could channel their aspirations to the
city authorities through such councils, and the councils, in
return, should provide information on new regulations to the
people.
The bylaw provides that all candidates must participate in two
electoral stages. The first round is held at the neighborhood
unit (RT) level, and should be participated in by at least two-
thirds of local residents.
Those elected in the first electoral round must then run in a
second electoral round which is held at the community unit (RW)
level. Each community unit elects one representative to the
subdistrict council.
Rahman said that he had received reports of procedural
violations during an election for a neighborhood unit in Kwitang
subdistrict, Central Jakarta.
The chairman of the local community unit granted an exemption
to a resident and allowed him to directly participate in the
election at the community unit level without having passed
through the first electoral round, he said. (04)