'Sutiyoso has done nothing for this city'

'Sutiyoso has done nothing for this city'

Many residents are disappointed with the performance of City
Governor Sutiyoso, whose five-year term will end in October. They
say the City Council should reject the governor's accountability
speech, which will be presented on Thursday.

Sarip, 45, is a vendor who sells coconut juice and soft drinks
at Kebayoran Lama traditional market in South Jakarta. He has
been in the city for five years. His wife and three children live
in Garut, West Java.

"Sutiyoso? I don't know him, maybe he's a new vendor here. Can
you tell me what he sells and where he runs his business?

Oh my goodness! He's the city governor, isn't he? Honestly, I
don't know much about him. I'm just one of those poor people who
fight for a living as a vendor here in the city.

I hope he is not reelected as the city's next governor,
because it is now very hard to survive and life could take a turn
for the worse if he becomes governor again.

So, it would be better to stop him from running for reelection
so that we could get a new and better leader to manage the city.

Living here is undoubtedly hard. My daily income is no longer
sufficient to support my family. Perhaps with a new leader
administering the city, my life could become brighter. Who
knows?"

Kurniawan, 29, an employee of a private company in Kebayoran
Lama, South Jakarta. He has been living in the city for about
seven years.

"If I were a councillor, I would, without a doubt, reject
Sutiyoso's accountability speech. I have not heard of one
positive thing he has done for the city.

All I know about is the poor performance of the administration
under his authority. Remember the garbage dispute? Or the floods
earlier this year? Or about the forcible eviction of squatters?

I wonder why some parties are even considering reelecting him?
Whatever the reason is, it's just ridiculous. I suggest they ask
members of the public before appointing a gubernatorial
candidate."

Ade Rustina Sitorus, 65, a resident of Kampung Melayu in East
Jakarta.

"I have been living in Jakarta for almost 50 years. I consider
Governor Sutiyoso to have been the worst mayor this city has ever
had.

Sutiyoso has done nothing for the city, except allowing the
city to become more chaotic, inhuman and dangerous. During his
administration, thousands of poor people were forcibly evicted
and hundreds of pedicabs were illegally seized.

He also back armed civilian militia to fight other civilians,
mostly poor people. Under Sutiyoso, who is former Jakarta
Military Commander, the city has become more insecure.

Sutiyoso's administration has also failed to improve public
transportation and other public services, such as the issuance of
identification cards.

The worst thing has been Sutiyoso's inability to prevent the
city's floods in February this year, which caused billions of
rupiah in losses.

So, there are many reasons the city councillors could use to
reject Sutiyoso's accountability speech if they listen to the
people's aspiration." --JP