Sutiyoso won't review 'Renstra'

JAKARTA: Governor Sutiyoso refused to modify his strategic plan (Renstra) for city development over the next five years through the inclusion of concrete programs.

"(The programs) should be included in the city development program (Propeda), instead of Renstra," Sutiyoso said in a plenary session of the city council on Tuesday.

According to government regulation 108/2000, an elected governor is obliged to design a Renstra, which will be used to evaluate the governor's performance.

Most of the city council factions urged Sutiyoso to review the Renstra and include some concrete programs in it, such as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and East Flood Canal projects.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle suggested the administration include a proposal for free tuition to cover the nine-year basic education period.

In response, the city administration plans to exempt students of state junior high schools from paying school fees, although that was not included in the Renstra. Elementary school students have been exempt from paying the fees since last year.--JP