Sutiyoso calls for modesty, but activists slam it as hot air
Sutiyoso calls for modesty, but activists slam it as hot air
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
City Governor Sutiyoso delivered a speech to mark Jakarta's
475th anniversary at the City Council over the weekend, promising
to uphold the law and improve public services, but activists
quickly slammed his rhetoric as empty words.
Speaking in the council plenary session, Sutiyoso said
upholding the law was important for the city to realize clean and
good governance.
"The public have demanded the eradication of corruption,
collusion and nepotism. They've become more critical now," said
Sutiyoso, who earlier registered himself as a candidate for the
next gubernatorial election.
Besides upholding the law, the governor also urged his
administration's officials and employees to improve public
services.
He said public services should be made easier, quicker, more
transparent, cheaper, and free from officials' attempts to take
bribes.
Sutiyoso, who was former Jakarta Military Commander, called on
Jakartans, especially city officials, to live modestly.
"We should live in a proportional and modest way, avoiding
consumerism as it could trigger social jealousy," he said.
Furthermore, he reminded the public to learn a lesson from the
recent huge floods in the city, and that it was urgent to
maintain the environment.
"After the recent extensive floods, we now realize that
garbage management, regreening and water catchment areas are
important," he said.
The massive floods in February caused billions of rupiah of
losses. The city administration allocated more than Rp 200
billion to repair houses and other flood-related rehabilitation
programs.
Separately, activists viewed Sutiyoso's speech as just
rhetoric and accused him of contributing little during his four-
year tenure.
"They are just empty words, meaningless as there have been no
significant developments since he took office four years ago,"
chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) Azas Tigor
Nainggolan said.
Tigor, who was earlier reported by Sutiyoso to the police for
defamation, said only a few officials and low-ranking officials,
who were guilty of corruption, had been punished during his
tenure.
He viewed corruption, bribery in many agencies as having
caused poor public services.
"Many employees are not willing to work quickly if they are
not bribed," said Tigor, who is also a public lawyer at the
Jakarta Social Institute (ISJ).
The head of the urban division of the Jakarta Legal Aid
Institute, Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto, supported Tigor's statement.
"I doubt that he (Sutiyoso) will put his words into action," he
said.
"Take the environment as an example. Sutiyoso approved the
change of several water catchment areas into industrial and
trading centers," said Tubagus, who is also chairman of the city
chapter of the Indonesian Forum on the Environment (Walhi).
He also doubted that Sutiyoso's call for modesty would be
followed by his subordinates, saying that the governor earlier
agreed to allocate a large amount of money for luxurious
facilities for the city councillors.
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
City Governor Sutiyoso delivered a speech to mark Jakarta's
475th anniversary at the City Council over the weekend, promising
to uphold the law and improve public services, but activists
quickly slammed his rhetoric as empty words.
Speaking in the council plenary session, Sutiyoso said
upholding the law was important for the city to realize clean and
good governance.
"The public have demanded the eradication of corruption,
collusion and nepotism. They've become more critical now," said
Sutiyoso, who earlier registered himself as a candidate for the
next gubernatorial election.
Besides upholding the law, the governor also urged his
administration's officials and employees to improve public
services.
He said public services should be made easier, quicker, more
transparent, cheaper, and free from officials' attempts to take
bribes.
Sutiyoso, who was former Jakarta Military Commander, called on
Jakartans, especially city officials, to live modestly.
"We should live in a proportional and modest way, avoiding
consumerism as it could trigger social jealousy," he said.
Furthermore, he reminded the public to learn a lesson from the
recent huge floods in the city, and that it was urgent to
maintain the environment.
"After the recent extensive floods, we now realize that
garbage management, regreening and water catchment areas are
important," he said.
The massive floods in February caused billions of rupiah of
losses. The city administration allocated more than Rp 200
billion to repair houses and other flood-related rehabilitation
programs.
Separately, activists viewed Sutiyoso's speech as just
rhetoric and accused him of contributing little during his four-
year tenure.
"They are just empty words, meaningless as there have been no
significant developments since he took office four years ago,"
chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) Azas Tigor
Nainggolan said.
Tigor, who was earlier reported by Sutiyoso to the police for
defamation, said only a few officials and low-ranking officials,
who were guilty of corruption, had been punished during his
tenure.
He viewed corruption, bribery in many agencies as having
caused poor public services.
"Many employees are not willing to work quickly if they are
not bribed," said Tigor, who is also a public lawyer at the
Jakarta Social Institute (ISJ).
The head of the urban division of the Jakarta Legal Aid
Institute, Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto, supported Tigor's statement.
"I doubt that he (Sutiyoso) will put his words into action," he
said.
"Take the environment as an example. Sutiyoso approved the
change of several water catchment areas into industrial and
trading centers," said Tubagus, who is also chairman of the city
chapter of the Indonesian Forum on the Environment (Walhi).
He also doubted that Sutiyoso's call for modesty would be
followed by his subordinates, saying that the governor earlier
agreed to allocate a large amount of money for luxurious
facilities for the city councillors.