TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Acting Jakarta Governor Soni Sumarsono is not Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, alias Ahok. He is far more pragmatic in his approach to the problems faced by the city administration in drawing up the 2017 Jakarta City Budget. Ahok, when he was in office, doggedly rejected a number of pet projects that the Jakarta City Council (DPRD) tried to slip in. As a result, deliberations over the 2016 Budget ground to a halt, and the administration was forced to use the previous year's financial plan. In contrast, Soni has chosen to 'play it safe' and accepted a number of the Council's pet projects in order to speed up the 2017 budget's approval process.
Thousands of projects proposed by the DPRD have made it into the 2017 Jakarta Budget. Among them is one for the supply of garbage trucks initially worth a total of Rp25 billion, but which subsequently swelled to Rp50 billion after deliberations with the DPRD. Another is for the procurement of trash containers worth Rp4.31 billion and of trash carts worth Rp876 million.
The DPRD is free to propose projects. According to the rules, even members of the public can propose programs. A mechanism is in place for this, through development planning consultations.
The process follows a series of stages from the sub-district to the provincial level. But if Soni's only reason for accepting these DPRD project proposals is to ensure the budget is passed, this is unacceptable. As the acting regional chief executive responsible for budget expenditure, Soni should consider whether these projects are truly suitable and beneficial for the intended regions.
The administration must be extremely judicious because this kind of bargaining has the potential to lead to political corruption. DPRD members are sure to have an interest in ensuring that administration projects meet the needs of their constituents and their party programs. In politics, legislators are focused on being reelected. This tends to prod them into manipulating policies for particular interest groups. In another equally loathsome scenario, these projects have the potential to be misused and abused in the interests of the families of legislators' associates who sponsored.
The administration must watch out for snakes in the grass. Soni should be more cautious. These additional proposals should not simply be accepted, they need to be studied to ensure they are suitable and prioritized accordingly. They must also be in line with the Jakarta blueprint, not simply added here and there without any clarity. The administration should ensure these projects bring real benefits to all levels of society.
Even if these proposals are appropriate for implementation, the procedures to ensure the funds are properly used must be strictly followed and monitored, to prevent any likelihood of embezzlement. The implementation should be guided by the principles of transparency and accountability. There must be close oversight and evaluation to prevent any corruption. If necessary, the administration could ask the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to assist with the oversight. (*)
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