'Sutiyoso more like salesman than governor'

'Sutiyoso more like salesman than governor'

Even though governor Sutiyoso has been reelected for a second
term, many people are still skeptical about his capability to
manage the city and its problems.

Yudi, 28, a pushcart fruit vendor in Slipi, West Jakarta. He
lives in Slipi with his wife and son. He used to work as a labor
supervisor in a factory located in Kedoya, West Jakarta:

I think Sutiyoso is similar to a salesman as he remains tough
and shameless despite the objection from the would-be customers.

He is shameless because despite the fact that he has failed to
gain support from the public, he refuses to resign. So it would
be better for him to become a salesman as he would not have the
moral responsibility as a governor to manage people.

It seems there was some political trickery between the high-
ranking officials and Sutiyoso, that facilitated his election
victory. But, we have to take that fact for granted.

I just regret the fact about his poor performances because he
never went down to address the people's misery but looked up to
cater to the top leaders and high class society instead.

Yuliana, 32, a staff member at an education foundation in
Salemba, Central Jakarta. She has been living near her office for
almost four years:

Jakarta has so many complex social problems such as traffic
congestion, street crime, poverty and unemployment. During his
first tenure, every Jakartan knew that Sutiyoso had failed to
manage all those complexities.

Logically speaking, I wonder how he can implement his programs
to manage the people when at the same time he cannot convince the
public about his own performance.

The power blackout last night might be an unlucky symbol of
his incompetence. It was just a day after he was re-elected.

Zulfa, 21, a courier of a delivery service company in Ciputat,
Tangerang. He lives in Ciputat:

I'm not sure Sutiyoso can handle all the problems in Jakarta
during his new term.

I think slum areas will be even larger and street criminals
will be more prevalent. Unemployment rates will go even higher
than the recent data now.

He was unable to solve the social problems here in his first
tenure. If he were a school student, his assignment (first term)
would be all marked up by red ink.

-- Leo Wahyudi S