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Proposal for councilors to hire assistants wrongheaded: Djarot
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Jakarta Council leaders attend a plenary hearing in Jakarta on May 31. (Kompas.com/Jessi Carina)
T
he proposal by Jakarta councilors to hire experts as assistants has been met with criticism from Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat, who considers the move a waste of money.
"It's wrong for each person to get an expert staffer. It's OK [to hire experts] but should be in line with their expertise. [They can] form an expert team to handle health, education and housing issues," the governor told reporters at City Hall on Monday.
He added that the standard of qualification for experts should be set and their roles needed to be made clear as to how their presence would assist in the councilors' responsibilities.
"Please think again. If one councilor wants one assistant, there would be 106 [experts], moreover there would be experts for factions and city council leaders, how many would that be?" Djarot said.
In an ongoing deliberation of a draft bylaw that would allow increases in their allowance, councilors argued that the hiring of experts was needed to enhance their performance.
The deliberation was based on the 2017 Government Regulation on the financial and administrative authority of regional council leaders and members, signed by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on June 2. (fac)
