Sutiyoso wants to outdo Susilo with radio program

Sutiyoso wants to outdo Susilo with radio program

Damar Harsanto
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

While President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has offered his cell
phone numbers as a means of keeping in touch with the public, his
senior in the Army, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, said on Monday he
would rather make his services available through a radio show.

"I have long instructed my subordinates to establish a hotline
via the radio so that I could listen and talk to residents while
they were driving ... But, I am very disappointed that my
subordinates have been too slow in following up the idea,"
Sutiyoso told The Jakarta Post and Trijaya radio station at City
Hall.

Sutiyoso said he was interested in direct communications and
was eager to receive calls, particularly complaints or criticism
from residents about corrupt officials.

"I am sure that I would be able to encourage public input at a
greater rate than merely awaiting my subordinates' reports," he
said.

"As long as the criticism is constructive and clear, I will
follow it up. Otherwise, I will certainly ignore it," he
confided.

Sutiyoso is no stranger to talk shows, having hosted the Bang
Yos Show, which was aired by private television station Lativi
every Tuesday last year.

In the program, Sutiyoso invited Jakarta residents to discuss
real issues faced by city communities, such as transportation and
health problems.

City spokesman Catur Laswanto said the program had been
dropped, but fell short of explaining the reason for its
termination.

"We plan to cooperate with another private TV station to make
a similar program," he said.

Critics have called the program a waste of taxpayers' money,
saying it only served the governor's interests.

A radio producer with a private radio station in Kebon Jeruk,
West Jakarta, Yudhi Damar, has welcomed Sutiyoso's plan.

"I think most private radio stations, including my station,
would be willing to allocate a regular free-of-charge slot for
the governor to talk to the residents," he said.

Currently, Sutiyoso's administration provides a mail box, PO
BOX 0008, to which the public can send complaints or reports. The
mail box is managed by the City Audit Agency (Bawasda).

However, whether the mail box is fulfilling its function as a
direct link to the governor is anyone's guess, as reports on its
effectiveness are pending.