`We're powerless to do anything about it'

`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