With dubious achievements, does Sutiyoso deserve reelection?
With dubious achievements, does Sutiyoso deserve reelection?
Ahmad Junaidi
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
It is difficult to cite Governor Sutiyoso's achievements this
year. Probably the most striking ones are the award he received
from the Jakarta Diplomatic Corps for helping to facilitate the
work of diplomats here and an honorary PhD he got from Pusan
University of Foreign Studies in South Korea.
If we cite the elimination of becak (pedicabs) from the city
and the increase in the city budget as among his "successes",
then many would debate it.
It is easier to cite examples of his failures, such as the
forced eviction of disadvantaged people from slums.
Let's start with his "achievement" in ridding the city of more
than 6,000 becak after months of clashes with becak drivers.
More than Rp 30 billion (US$3 million) in funds had been spent
to finance public order operations against becak which were
banned in city bylaw No. 11/1988 on public order.
The operations triggered clashes with becak drivers, who were
supported by several non-governmental organizations. One of the
clashes occurred in the Roxy area, where a civilian security
guard was killed, dozens of officers and becak drivers injured,
and several cars belonging to the public order office were
torched.
Had Sutiyoso not invited the pedicab drivers to operate in the
city again in 1999 when the country was hit by the economic
crisis, the clashes would not have occurred and the funds could
have been used to finance other more urgent programs.
The governor repeatedly argued that he had allowed them to
operate in 1999 because of the economic crisis. Have we emerged
from the crisis this year so that the drivers should no longer be
permitted to continue their operations?. We are still in an
economic crisis.
His other claim to success is the increased budget. The
governor has managed to increase the city budget from Rp 4.98
trillion last year to Rp 8.1 trillion this year.
However, it would be correct to say that most of the 2001
budget was raised through tax payers contributions, while the
city-owned companies, those of which were not suffering losses,
contributed very little.
A coalition of non-governmental organizations led by the Urban
Poor Consortium criticized the budget for its lack of
transparency and for the disproportionate allocation of funds for
the socially disadvantaged.
Sutiyoso, the former Jakarta military commander, has often
been criticized for the way his administration conducts their
public order operations using violent and coercive methods,
including raids against squatters living on riverbanks.
Guarded by hundreds of police officers, the city public order
officers bulldozed makeshift homes along riverbanks witnessed
with tears by the poor, and now homeless, people.
These marginalized people had been living there for years and
were subject to the same obligations as other Jakarta residents,
such as paying taxes and the like.
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) deplored
the operations, saying that the administration had violated human
rights.
Many say that the people should not have been evicted without
proper compensation since the administration had "allowed" them
to stay there for years.
Another failure of the governor, who assumed the city's top
post in 1996, is his management of the city's garbage, which is
still a very serious problem as the Bekasi administration has
only agreed to reopen the Bantar Gebang dump for one month.
Bekasi has warned that if no satisfactory agreement is reached
then it will close it again.
The prolonged dispute with the Bekasi municipal
administration, which demanded the closure of the 104-hectare
Bantar Gebang garbage dump due to environmental damage, shows a
lack of proper planning for such a huge metropolis.
Sutiyoso has encountered difficulties in finding new sites to
dump the 25,000 cubic meters of garbage generated by city
residents every day. Garbage has been piling up as a result
throughout the city.
As land prices are prohibitively expensive, the administration
should look to more advanced technology which needs a smaller
land area to recycle garbage, which has increased annually along
with the growth in the city's population.
The planned cooperation with four private firms to recycle the
city's waste using biotechnology is believed to have began since
the Bantar Gebang dispute with Bekasi.
Sutiyoso's record in ending collusion, corruption and nepotism
(KKN) and enforcing the law in the spirit of reformation was
poor. (jun will add examples to support that statement)
So could we mention any other reasons to support the
reelection of Sutiyoso in October next year? It would be
difficult for him to make his mark in lasting achievements in the
remaining 10 months.
The governor has reportedly began to lobby certain politicians
for his reelection for a second term.
Some believe that Sutiyoso, with his financial resources and
strong political backing, will be reelected.
If Sutiyoso were reelected, what significant progress will
Jakarta achieve?