J

akarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama'€™s decision to issue a gubernatorial regulation on the 2015 city budget after he failed to secure the City Council'€™s approval is expected to end the budget saga that
has wasted so much time and energy in the last three months.

Let us hope that programs badly needed to address long-standing problems like congestion and seasonal flooding will be implemented without further delay.

However, residents must brace for prolonged political din, as city councilors will continue to exercise their
right of inquiry against the governor over the submission of the '€œfalse'€ draft 2015 city budget to the Home Ministry last month.

Meanwhile Ahok has reported suspicious elements in the budget (dana siluman), allegedly inserted by councilors, to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Ahok was also reported to the police by councilors for defamation.

On Monday, the governor submitted a gubernatorial regulation on a draft budget to the Home Ministry, comprising programs in the draft 2015 city budget that had been downsized to fit the 2014 budget ceiling of Rp 72.9 trillion (US$5.6 billion), slightly lower than the Rp 73.08 trillion of the version deliberated with the City Council.

The submission of the regulation is based on Law No. 17/2003 on state finance that rules that in the event of failure of local governments and local councils to agree on a draft budget, the region may use the ceiling of the previous year'€™s budget.

With the budget based on a gubernatorial regulation, instead of a bylaw approved by the City Council, Ahok certainly has greater responsibility, as the city administration becomes the sole party responsible for the draft budget, which is now being assessed by the Home Ministry.

Therefore, soon after the draft budget is approved by the minister, the governor needs to move in full gear to implement the planned programs.

It is time for Ahok to prove that he is not only a famously blunt governor, but also a capable official. He needs to learn from last year'€™s poor performance when the city could only absorb 59 percent or Rp 43.4 trillion of the targeted Rp 72.9 trillion in the city budget.

This time, urgent projects like the improvement of public transportation cannot afford to fail. The governor, for example, should ensure that the procurements of 3,000 buses, delayed from last year, are executed this year.

Flood mitigation projects, education and health care are other programs that need serious attention. Therefore, Ahok needs to ensure that all officials and staff in the city administration know how to achieve results in their respective programs.

Visible success in delivering on expectations is the only '€œweapon'€ the governor has against further pitfalls, given the display of distrust between the governor and the city councilors.

This is a decisive year for Governor Ahok. He will reap what he sows, either with success or failure.