Jakarta – Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) deputy speaker M. Taufik has called on fellow council members to donate 10 percent of their salaries to those affected by the recent widespread flooding that hit parts of the capital.
Taufik himself has donated Rp 10 million (US$721.22), 10 percent of his pay, for victims.
"I called on [fellow councillors] to help people affected by the flood so they may be able to clean their homes. I asked them to donate 10 percent of their take-home pay. I hope they are willing [to donate]," he said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.
He went on to say that the council secretary would propose the idea to all 106 council members.
Each DPRD member receives a monthly salary of Rp 111 million, while the DPRD speaker receives Rp 59 million and deputy speaker Rp 110 million.
If every DPRD member allocates Rp 10 million of their monthly salary for the cause, the total funds raised would amount to Rp 1.06 billion.
The donation was expected to be distributed to people affected by the flood, as well as volunteers in disaster mitigation efforts, Taufik said.
Jakarta experienced on New Year's Eve its worst rainfall in over a decade, with heavy rain pouring over the city nonstop until Wednesday morning, causing severe flooding in the capital and its satellite cities on the first day of 2020.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded rainfall intensity of 377 millimeters per day at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta during New Year's Eve. The previous heaviest rainfall in the city was in 2007, when rainfall intensity reached 340 mm per day. (rfa)