T

he West Java provincial administration has yet to show fairness in its governance as it only allocated limited funds for education, health care and poverty alleviation, the Partnership for Governance Reform reported.

'The provincial administration's indicator of fairness only reached a score of 2.37,' partnership researcher Fauzan Djamal said in a seminar on the West Java Provincial Governance Index in Bandung.

In general, in a survey for the Indonesia Governance Index (IGI), the overall index of West Java reached a score of 5.88, higher than the national average of 5.67. 'The IGI assessment ranges from 1, which is the worst, through 10, the best,' Fauzan said.

The low index achievement on fairness in governance, Fauzan went on, could be seen from the limited budget allocated for the mandatory nine-year education program, which amounted to only Rp 44,688 (US$4.50) per student. This figure is incredibly low compared to Jakarta province, which allocates Rp 2.29 million for each student.

Regarding the allocation for health care, West Java sets aside Rp 9,455 per resident, well below that of
Jakarta, which earmarks Rp 210,000 per resident, Banten (Rp 29,000) and East Java (Rp 46,000). For poverty alleviation, the West Java administration allocates Rp 50,726 for each low-income resident, an amount that is far below Jakarta (Rp 1.45 million), Yogyakarta (Rp 100,000) and East Java (Rp 70,000).

The survey, which was conducted from 2011 to 2012, looked at four areas of governance ' administration, bureaucracy, civil society and economic community.

Despite being considered relatively poor in terms of justice, the West Java administration is listed as
'adequate' regarding the principles of participation, accountability, transparency, effectiveness and efficiency.

'We hope the index assessment will serve as a reference for the governor and councilors, in drawing up the budget. If they work in favor of the people, they should raise the budget for people's welfare,' added Nico.

Overall, the governance index issued by the partnership showed five provinces with the highest index, namely Yogyakarta with a score of 6.42, Jakarta (6.33), Jambi (6.24) and Bali (6.23).

The Partnership for Governance Reform is a multi-stakeholder organization established by noted Indonesian figures from various fields, including the government, civil society and private sector.