`We're powerless to do anything about it'

The closed-door meeting for the 2003 city budget has sparked public criticism. The City Council, however, approved the budget of almost Rp 11 trillion regardless of the absence of public scrutiny and reasonable allocations. The Jakarta Post talked to several urban residents in response to the lack of transparency from city councillors and the administration.

Oding, 49, is a vendor of soft drinks at Senayan sports stadium, Central Jakarta. He lives at Juraganan, South Jakarta, with his wife and three children:

High-ranking officials are showing openly to the public their greed and lack of transparency in dealing with the city budget so far.

Low-income people are not so stupid that they fail to recognize the irregularities perpetrated by these officials. We realize it but don't have the power to do anything about it.

The city budget allocation is totally unrealistic, as public welfare received a far smaller allocation than the councillors themselves.

They have set a bad example of how to be greedy by abusing their position. I'm sure this will lead to people fighting for the chance to fill the positions so as to grab the greatest amount of money.

All leaders are now becoming crazy about power and money. So how can we expect them to side with us? I had to work for eight years to accumulate the equivalent of the current monthly salary of city councillors. Sounds crazy, doesn't it?

Such bad leaders should be eliminated from the country, otherwise subsequent generations will simply follow their bad example.

Vivin, 32, is a computer technician from West Jakarta who lives in Tanjung Duren, West Jakarta, with his wife:

The lack of transparency in the city budget has proved how the country has seriously deteriorated due to unaccountable leaders. It's just like a computer that has been infected by an acute virus in such a way that it has damaged the program.

The mentality of all high-ranking officials has degenerated, I guess. The city administration and the governor are merely a reflection of the unaccountability of the central government. The city budget meeting was not transparent because they are just dishonest officials who have an interest in securing their own positions. If they were sincere they would open the entire process of the city budget allocation to the public.

I wonder how we can expect them to side with less-fortunate people, particularly in the city. If the city budget allocations are not transparent and reasonable at all, what should we expect from such white-collar crooks?

I'm sure we need a revolution to get rid of these corrupt leaders. Otherwise, such irregularities will just continue unchecked.

Kurniawan, 28, is a teacher at the Lab School senior high school (SMU Lab School) in Kebayoran, South Jakarta. He lives in Rawamangun, East Jakarta with his wife:

It's so obvious that the city administration does not side with low-income people at all. The lack of transparency in the city budget has proved to the public that the city administration plays dirty games for its own benefit.

The city administration and governor have played the game in such a way that it is obvious they are afraid of public control.

Due to their dishonesty they preferred the city budget meeting be closed to anyone who might expose their dishonorable intentions.

This is just part of a scenario designed for their own benefit. They probably want to force their own ideas on a general public that is deemed powerless to stop them. They thought people would just accept the city budget allocation as a foregone conclusion.

I think the unreasonable city budget allocation will worsen the quality of education for city residents. It will inevitably cause more ignorance and poverty.

Worse still, I'm now becoming apathetic toward the corrupt government. It doesn't have any sense of crisis at all.

The lack of transparency here has led to irregularities that will later spark public resentment.

-- Leo Wahyudi S