Tough task ahead for Banten governor

Tough task ahead for Banten governor

The Jakarta Post
Tangerang

Banten's first governor, Djoko Munandar, faces tough challenges
to improve the welfare of the local people and to develop his new
province, part of which is still under the control of the Jakarta
administration.

One of the toughest challenges is likely to be whether the new
province is successful in its attempts to acquire 22 islands in
the Kepulauan Seribu island chain located northwest of Jakarta.

Banten officials claim that the 22 islands, currently
controlled by the Jakarta administration, are part of the new
province and have urged Jakarta to hand them over to the Banten
administration.

The names of the disputed islands are not clear.

The Banten Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD) recommended
last week that the local government officially ask Minister of
Home Affairs Hari Sabarno to serve as mediator in settling the
dispute over the claim for the 22 islands.

In a plenary session last Wednesday, the Banten legislature
also issued several other recommendations for Governor Djoko and
his deputy Ratu Atut Choisiyah for development in the province.

The recommendations focus on plans for physical development
programs in Banten.

DPRD chairman Dharmono K. Lawi said the recommendations were
based on the results of his council's working visits and
observations in villages as well as meetings with members of the
public.

The provincial administration should pay attention to
the principles of efficiency, effectiveness, transparency,
justice, responsibility and fairness in disbursing development
funds to regencies, he said.

The council called for independent teams, including community
leaders, to be involved in supervising the implementation of
development projects.

"However, all policies on project implementations ranging
from bids and executive appointments to quality evaluations must
be dealt with by the provincial administration," Dharmono added.

He said the DPRD also recommended that the administration
maintain good relations with business groups to help speed up the
development of infrastructure and the improvement of local
people's welfare.

Recommendations also include priority in the tight selection
of local senior officials involved in development projects.

The council cited the criteria requirements for officials,
such as integrity, technical qualifications, discipline, a sense
of responsibility and managerial skills as well as good
leadership.

"This is expected to make them (local officials) carry out
their state duties as well as possible and fulfill the people's
hopes and demands," Darmono said.

He said the regional administration must also carefully select
contractors and planning and supervising consultants involved in
this year's development projects across the province.

According to Darmono, contractors and consultants involved in
previous projects should no longer be invited to participate in
tenders for 2002 development activities as the results of their
past work did not meet the required criteria.

In addition, the council also recommended that the Banten
administration review the collusion- and corruption-tainted
recruitment of civil servants in the province.

Officials who played roles in questionable recruitment
practices should also be removed, Darmono said.

He said the government should begin compiling data on total
assets and infrastructure in Banten such as a roads and bridges
so the new province would be able to optimize the use of the
infrastructure to improve its regional revenues.

Asked while on a visit to flood victims in the province's
capital of Tangerang on Thursday whether his administration could
adequately carry out the recommendations by the legislature,
Governor Djoko simply said: "We will try to do our best. Let's
just wait and see."

Banten was officially established as the country's 30th
province in October 2000.

The council elected Djoko and Atut Choisiyah, both politicians
from the United Development Party (PPP), as the province's first
governor and his deputy in November last year for the 2001-2006
period. They were sworn in one month later by the home affairs
minister.