Subdistricts to receive Rp 250 million each

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After donating Rp 50 million (US$5,000) to each of the 167 flood-hit subdistricts, the city administration announced on Monday it would soon disburse Rp 250 million to each of the city's 265 subdistricts.

"The Rp 250 million should be used for programs to empower local residents. Residents whose working equipment or tools or trade were damaged by the flood, (for example) could be helped," Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso told reporters after meeting the city's five mayors at City Hall.

Sutiyoso said how the fund was distributed should be decided by the subdistricts' chiefs and their councils.

But he underlined that the fund should be used to empower the residents, especially helping them to rebuild their means of livelihood, which was affected by the recent floods.

"Do not use it to build roads or school buildings since they will be repaired by the administration's agencies," the governor said.

The fund for the program called the Subdistrict Residents' Empowerment Program (PPMK) has been allocated from the 2002 city budget.

Last year, each subdistrict received Rp 50 million. But many residents in several subdistricts reportedly professed ignorance about the fund. They said they knew nothing about the program. The bulk of the fund was reportedly used for physical development, instead of for empowering local residents.

The administration also disbursed Rp 50 million last week to each of the flood-hit subdistricts in the city, to assist flood victims. A portion of the fund, which was managed by the subdistricts' councils, was reportedly misused.

The disbursement of Rp 50 million through the council members was questioned since it was still unclear who would be held responsible in case of any misappropriation of the fund.

A subdistrict council in South Jakarta reportedly used almost half of the fund to cook meals for flood victims. The decision on how to use the fund was only decided by four of its nine members of the council.

Sutiyoso reiterated on Monday that it would depend on the people, mainly the subdistrict council members, to decide the use of the fund but it should be reported to the subdistrict chief.

Later in the day, the governor said that he agreed with a demand from residents that the city administration should dismiss Gambir subdistrict chief Ahdiansyah for ignoring flood victims.

"Yes, I agree. Let it (the replacement) be processed quickly," Sutiyoso said.

Dozens of Gambir residents staged a demonstration in front of Central Jakarta Municipal Council, demanding the dismissal of the subdistrict chief.

They criticized Ahdiansyah for not including the subdistrict in the list of flood-hit subdistricts which would receive the Rp 50 million, although, in fact, two community units in the subdistrict were inundated by the floods.

It is still unclear how serious the floods were, which areas were deluged and the damage caused by the floods.