TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama was reluctant to respond to accusations of image-branding after his government uploaded a video of his meeting with the Public Works Department on YouTube on Nov. 8."They say I am branding my image. Yeah, right! If I doing that, would be taking risks on my life?" Basuki told Tempo on Nov. 21.In the video, the man familiarly called Ahok seemed to be speaking angrily to his subordinates. He did not deny he was furious because he believed that, as officials paid by the people, the duty of government staff must be to serve the interests of the public. "People will certainly be angry to have their money robbed, spent without a second thought. My constituents chose me to spend their money wisely," he said.As far as he was concerned, the definition of image branding is wanting to seek a name for oneself and being willing to compromise to do inappropriate things. "If I wanted to create a brand image, why would I burn the midnight oil scrutinizing budgets? he asked.Currently, Ahok and other regional governments are busy working on the budget for next year. The 2013 Regional Budget is estimated at Rp45 trillion. He wants savings on everything that can be eliminated.The innovative measures taken by Ahok and Governor Joko Widodo since they took office are beginning to have an impact on Jakartans. Ahok is in charge of managing the Jakarta governments performance, while Jokowi visits slums and meet the residents to seek solutions to problems.SUTJI DECILYA