Jababeka eases Jakarta's population, employment problems<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The following is the second of a series of articles on ares that
\nare developing very rapidly and easing Jakarta's social problems.
\nIt was a bright, sunny morning and unless people read the
\nindustrial zone's sign board, they would probably think they were
\nin an Jakarta upmarket residential area.<\/p>\n
In fact, it is a corner of a housing complex in the Jababeka
\nindustrial zone in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java, 40 kilometers
\neast of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"I work for a local company. My family and I live here. With
\nlocal schools, banks, hospitals, markets, a park and a sport
\ncenter, my family and I don't have to go to Jakarta anymore
\nunless we want a day out in Dunia Fantasi, Ancol or Taman Mini,\"
\nSuparman, 35, a resident of Jababeka, told The Jakarta Post
\nrecently.<\/p>\n
After several years of working and living in Jakarta,
\nSuparman, who comes from Purwokerto, Central Java, moved to
\nJababeka in 2003 to work for a foreign company in the area.<\/p>\n
Suparman is just one of thousands of people who moved from
\nJakarta to Jababeka to earn a living. Jababeka is home to over
\n150,000 people from various ethnic groups and nationalities.<\/p>\n
Built on abandoned rice fields in 1989, Jababeka now has over
\n1,100 corporate tenants, including multinational company giants
\nsuch as Unilever, Mattel, United Tractors and Samsung, on 2,970
\nhectares of land, which has been developed into an integrated
\nindustrial, commercial and residential area.<\/p>\n
\"From the beginning, we wanted Jababeka to be home to foreign
\ninvestors who create jobs for local people. This led to a demand
\nfor housing as all of the employees here needed homes located
\nnearby,\" Jababeka president director Setyono Djuandi Darmono told
\nthe Post.<\/p>\n
To attract foreign investors and to compete with other
\nindustrial estate developers, Jababeka built world-class
\ninfrastructure, including an unlimited power supply from the
\nprivately developed power plant run by Cikarang Listrindo, a
\nJababeka-affiliated company, water and waste water treatment
\nplants and a full range of telecommunications facilities.<\/p>\n
The result is that over 1,100 small, medium and large-scale
\ncompanies specializing in chemicals, consumer goods, food,
\nmachinery and metal manufacturing from 24 countries moved their
\noffices, production bases and marketing offices to the growing
\ncity.<\/p>\n
The tenant companies employ thousands of people from Jakarta
\nand surrounding areas.<\/p>\n
\"As a result of the multiplier effect, all of the big
\ncompanies brought with them several smaller company partners,
\nwhich also employ thousands of people,\" Darmono said.<\/p>\n
Over 150,000 people, comprising employees of tenant companies
\nand other residents, now live in the zone, compared to around
\n10,000 people in 1989.<\/p>\n
To accommodate the growing number of companies and their
\nemployees, Jababeka has built Kota Hijau Cikarang Baru, a housing
\ncomplex. Some 10,000 families are living in the 12,500-house
\ncomplex.<\/p>\n
Aside from inviting top private schools, banks, restaurants
\nand hospitals to establish branches in the city, Jababeka has
\nalso built shopping centers, a university, a golf and country
\nclub and an education park to cater to the needs of its
\nresidents.<\/p>\n
\"We are the first and largest industrial city in the country.
\nWe help ease Jakarta's burden by providing jobs and housing.
\nInstead of moving to Jakarta, people from other regions come to
\nJababeka,\" Darmono said.<\/p>\n
With migrants continuing to pour into Jakarta, unchecked urban
\ngrowth has often been cited as a major reason for many of the
\ncapital's woes. It is estimated that around 200,000 people move
\nto Jakarta every year to earn a living.<\/p>\n
Buffer areas around Jakarta such as Jababeka are one of the
\nfew remedies to the capital's problems.<\/p>\n
By definition, Jababeka is a self-sustaining city in the sense
\nthat its residents can earn a living and fulfill their needs
\nthere.<\/p>\n
With over 1,100 companies based in Jababeka, Darmono claims
\nthat around one-quarter of the country's output is produced by
\nJababeka with a gross domestic product of US$10 billion per year.<\/p>\n
Jababeka now aims to become a self-governing city by
\nestablishing a council called LPPMC that represents its
\nresidents, including tenants, employees, local people.<\/p>\n
\"We want this council to later become a city council for
\nJababeka. We want it to become a fully self-governing city, and
\nbecome an excellent example and 'laboratory' for other regions of
\nhow to run a city as we have all first-class facilities and
\npeople,\" Darmono said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jababeka-eases-jakartas-population-employment-problems-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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