'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