Sutiyoso and garbage

Sutiyoso and garbage

As many of us know, the main problems that constantly bedevil
our capital city, Jakarta, are its transportation system,
flooding and garbage disposal. Unfortunately, the city
administration and bureaucracy have never come up with any
workable solutions to these problems, allowing them instead to
grow and develop into a time bomb that could explode at any
moment.

The teeming city of Jakarta produces an estimated 23,400 cubic
meters of garbage per day. However, the city sanitation office
can dispose of only 14,700 cubic meters of it at the dump. This
means that some 8,700 cubic meters of garbage is left lying
around, which means that in the space of one month, at least
260,000 cubic meters of garbage is left scattered about the city.
Needless to say, this poses a very serious problem.

To be fair, the business of garbage disposal has never been
well organized in Jakarta, and finding a suitable place to serve
as a final dumpsite further complicates the problem. On the other
hand, officials seem quite adept at finding excuses. Governor
Sutiyoso, for example, says that the administration lacks trucks
and personnel to carry the garbage. Ideally, the city needs 1,200
trucks and 15,000 personnel for the job. In reality, however,
only 700 trucks are available and 3,000 people work for the
sanitation agency.

Sutiyoso has given no specific explanation as to why the city
administration has only 700 trucks and 3,000 personnel to dispose
of the garbage produced in the five municipalities. But if money
is the main problem, we suggest that the governor take another
look at the proposed city budget now being considered by the
Council. In the 2003 proposed budget, submitted by Sutiyoso to
the Council several days ago, the administration proposes to
spend Rp 214 billion-plus on the improvement of sanitation
services, including the purchase of new garbage trucks.

Ironically, the budget also proposes annual allowances
amounting to almost Rp 9.8 billion for the governor. Just to
mention one of the items on the list: Rp 65 million for
Sutiyoso's attire. With that money Sutiyoso could buy himself
more than 65 uniforms, or some 30 business suits made from good-
quality material. Two other astonishing allowances are for
newspapers and magazines, amounting to a total of Rp 90 million,
plus another Rp 90 million for coffee. It is difficult to imagine
what kind and how many magazines and newspapers Sutiyoso
subscribes to, and how many cups of coffee he consumes in a year.

The Rp 887 million set aside for "operational costs" and
preparation of his official speeches also seems most irrational.
The governor is also free to use Rp 100 million allocated for his
annual health care, whether or not he or his wife become ill.

The money has yet to be cashed, but the point is that, with
such a generous allowance, the city officials are demonstrating
their total lack of a sense of crisis. City Hall officials in
charge of the budget said that the governor deserved the money.
Whether or not it is used is a different matter. Criticism of the
proposed budget has already been voiced by several parties,
including non-governmental organizations.

Responding to such criticism, Sutiyoso said that he would
propose that the Council cancel the allowances and use the money
to help the public instead. Hopefully, this is not merely an
empty promise to gain more popularity or to build his image.
Sutiyoso must prove the sincerity of his commitment to make the
city more orderly and clean. He could write an official letter
transferring some of the money, for example for the purchase of
new garbage trucks, which cost around Rp 200 million each. The
governor must initiate such a charitable move as it is
unreasonable to expect his subordinates to do this. He could
simply issue official letters authorizing his subordinates to
transfer those of his allowances that he considers excessive to
garbage management activities, including the purchase of trucks.

As the city administration has yet to initiate a single
program to bid for more money to improve garbage handling,
Sutiyoso's declaration, that he is willing to sacrifice at least
part of his allowances in the public interest, should be made
good. Even just one truck per year bought with the money would be
a significant contribution to Jakarta. During the governor's
five-year term in office, the city administration would be able
to add five new garbage trucks to its fleet. But this would only
happen if Sutiyoso were sincere in his statement. As for now,
let's just wait and see.