Sutiyoso presents flood fund, accountability unclear
Rendi A. Witular The Jakarta Post Jakarta
City Governor Sutiyoso presented Rp 50 million (US$4,900) in aid to each of the 167 flood-hit subdistrict councils (Dekel) across the city on Tuesday but the questions of accountability and the mechanism to be used in disbursing the funds remained unresolved.
Heads of the Dekel were divided over the two issues.
The Dekel head of Kebon Bawang subdistrict, North Jakarta, Kosim Khotib, said that the Dekel itself would probably be accountable for the use of the funds.
"I haven't received any specific instructions from the city administration on the accountability or the implementation. The governor only told us to use the aid for emergencies such as for public toilets. So maybe it is up to us to use the aid as we see fit", he said.
However, Kosim could not elaborate on how and what the funds would be spent on, saying that he would convene with other Dekel members.
The same uncertainty was voiced by Karno, the Dekel head of Pademangan Barat, North Jakarta. "We don't know yet what we'll spend the money on as our area was not badly affected by the recent floods," he said. "Maybe we'll use the aid for cleaning up the gutters, I don't know, we haven't decided yet."
Concerning the issue of accountability, Karno said that he would appoint one of the Dekel members to supervise the use of the money as there had been no formal instructions from the administration.
A more moderate argument on the mechanism came from Gumin Has, the head of Srengseng Sawah Dekel in South Jakarta.
"Money is a sensitive matter, so I would like to see the participation of the residents and all the chiefs of the district, subdistrict and neighborhood units in supervising the money, so that no irregularities occur," said Gumin.
Gumin added that they would decide on what the money would be spent on after gathering data on the losses and damages caused by the floods and convening with the subdistrict chief.
Heryanto, the subdistrict chief of Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta, whose area was still submerged by floodwaters, said that he had no idea whatsoever about the aid, as it was the responsibility of the Dekel.
"From what I've been told at the meeting with the governor on Monday, the Dekel has full responsibility for the implementation mechanism and accountability. Both the subdistrict and district chief only act as observers. I think the city Supervision Agency will oversee the use of the funds," said Heryanto.
Dekel or Dewan Kelurahan is a kind of subdistrict legislative body consisting of 7 to 10 people depending on the number of neighborhood units in each subdistrict.
The Dekel members, who each have a monthly salary of Rp 500,000, are elected by each subdistrict's residents.
The Dekel members are usually people from various backgrounds, even unemployed residents and thugs.
The formation of the body, which was reinstated in 2001, was based on the City Bylaw No.5/2000.
Meanwhile, Teten Masduki of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) said he suspected the funds could be used to campaign for the strengthening of Sutiyoso's political base.
"The aid campaign is dangerous as its accountability is uncertain. Moreover, the distribution of the state money could cause corruption," Teten said.
Teten added that the city administration's decision to provide funds of the same amount to each subdistrict, regardless of their level of damage, was just irrational.
"The least-affected subdistricts could set up a party as the aid funds will be unused. However, the worst affected ones will seek extra money for helping their flood victims", he said.