In an unexpected turn of events, the 2015 Jakarta budget dispute seems to have subsided, with councilors signaling support for the draft budget and the city administration beginning to enact changes recommended by the Home Ministry.

The city administration and councilors have been at odds for several weeks over different versions of the draft budget. Jakarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama has accused the councilors of including in their draft '€œsneaky items'€ worth Rp 12.1 trillion (US$926.4 million) of the total Rp 73.08 trillion.

Hundreds of city officials gathered at City Hall in Central Jakarta on Thursday to make changes to the draft 2015 city budget through the e-budgeting system, grouped according to their agency. The officials are set to work around the clock, for days if necessary, to make changes to 3,260 programs, based on recommendations from the ministry.

Ahok said that the city administration had invited the City Council to view the e-budgeting process so that councilors could monitor the process and get to know the system. Ahok said that the administration would also give Council Speaker Prasetio Edi Marsudi a password to access the e-budgeting system.

'€œWe will give a username and password to the City Council to access the system so they can monitor the process as well. However, the City Council'€™s account will not be able to make changes to the budget. The City Council can only view and lock allocations if they find a dubious program. Once an allocation is locked, the funds for that program cannot be disbursed,'€ Ahok announced to reporters.

He said that he would continue to fight for transparency in the Jakarta administration although he acknowledged that it would not be easy. Ahok revealed that in 2012, then council speaker Ferrial Sofyan of the Democratic Party had threatened the city administration that the council would reject that year'€™s draft budget if then Financial Management Board head Sukri Bey was demoted. Sukri, Ahok said, had been responsible for inputting dana siluman or '€œsneaky allocations'€. In the end, the city administration gave Sukri early retirement, and the City Council approved the budget nonetheless.

Prasetio, meanwhile, said he gave his full support to the city administration'€™s draft budget, expressing appreciation for Ahok'€™s drive to achieve transparency. Prasetio has until now been one of the most vocal councilors in the dispute with the governor.

'€œNow the budgeting process is very open, very transparent. Our communication has also improved. The most important thing right now is that residents benefit from the city budget,'€ Prasetio said after visiting Ahok at his office.

Prasetio went on to say that he personally had agreed to exclude the Rp 12.1 trillion of additional funds from the councilors'€™ version of the budget, and that he would sign the draft budget once the improvements were made.

A number of councilors were also present during the e-budgeting process, including Nasdem Party politicians Bestari Barus and James Arifin, Golkar Party politicians Ashraf Ali and Tandanan Daulay and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politicians Pandapotan Sinaga and Maruarar Siahaan. It was the first time that the councilors had viewed the e-budgeting process.

Bestari said that the e-budgeting system was '€œquite good'€ and asked that the city administration teach the councilors how to access the system. '€œWe are very happy with this system because it will be very useful,'€ he said.

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