Ruling the capital is 'difficult but interesting'<\/p>\n
Many firmly believe that his days in the Medan Merdeka Selatan
\noffice are numbered with possibly only a few weeks to go. This
\nturn of events is due to him being named as a suspect in the July
\n27, 1996 forcible takeover of the PDI headquarters. Whilst
\nconvinced that he is a victim of political circumstances but also
\ninsists that he is ready to face the consequences, Governor
\nSutiyoso revealed his thoughts on the matter, hopes, and
\naspirations to The Jakarta Post reporter Fabiola Desy Unidjaja.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In the 473 years of Jakarta's history, Sutiyoso
\nis the only governor who's tenure has been under three
\npresidents.<\/p>\n
But the ailing economic woes, growing trend of vandalism and
\nbrutality, and political instability during his term in office,
\nespecially in the third year, have seemingly exhausted the energy
\nof the retired three-star military general.<\/p>\n
\"It is very tiring to be the governor of the capital.<\/p>\n
The city has a lot of problems of its own, while the central
\ngovernment added to the burden with political disputes among the
\nelites,\" Sutiyoso said in an interview at the Jakarta Governor
\noffice in Central Jakarta on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"Physically, I am not tired because as a soldier I am used to
\ntough physical training, but my mind is. It is not easy to lead a
\ncapital city,\" the 56-years-old man said.<\/p>\n
But the former Jakarta Military commander quickly added that
\nhe still hopes to complete his five-years of tenure as the city
\ngovernor successfully.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso described his experience during the first three years
\nof ruling the capital as \"difficult\", \"irritating\", but
\nnevertheless \"interesting\".<\/p>\n
\"Only a few months after I was posted as governor, the reform
\ntook place,\" he said, referring to the massive calls for reform
\nby students and activists across the country in early 1998 when
\nSoeharto still ruled the nation but later resigned in May of that
\nyear.<\/p>\n
\"It has been difficult for me because I had to adjust my way
\nof thinking to lead civilians rather than soldiers which is what
\nI was trained to do.<\/p>\n
More than that, I have to deal with the new reforms,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
\"It was very irritating, but finally I got used to the (anti-
\ngovernment) rallies.\"<\/p>\n
A few months after his appointment, a major economic crisis
\nrocked the country, followed by massive anti-government student
\nprotests and finally the tragic May unrest in the capital that
\nlead to the downfall of Soeharto on May 21, 1998.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso then had to deal with continuing rallies against
\nSoeharto's successor, B.J. Habibie.<\/p>\n
Finally, the country's first democratic general election in
\n1999 brought President Abdurrahman Wahid as the country's new
\nleader.<\/p>\n
According to Sutiyoso, who was born in the Central Java
\ncapital of Semarang on Dec.6, 1944, Jakartans could be dubbed as
\nthe common portrait of the country's heterogeneity, but this has
\nall changed during the past three difficult years of the reform
\nmovement.<\/p>\n
People, who used to agree with every decision issued by the
\ngovernment, are now not content with this and even have the
\naudacity to say \"no\" to rulings from their leaders as if such
\nopposing acts are cool and sophisticated, he explained.<\/p>\n
Demands for transparency and public accountability from their
\nleader most of the time went too far and limited the authority
\nand freedom of the governor to make decisions for the capital, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso considers that the reform movement in the capital has
\nsomehow gone too far, leaving the city with extra problems to
\ndeal with.<\/p>\n
He contended that people today preferred to oppose and reject
\nany decisions made by the Jakarta administration without
\nconsidering the interests of other people. They just merely want
\nto criticize the administration, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Those who say 'no' (to the decisions) in order to gain
\nnotoriety and become popular people in the capital,\" said
\nSutiyoso.<\/p>\n
\"The combination of the economic crisis, political disputes
\nand rallies on the streets have turned the metropolitan into a
\nvery difficult place to control.<\/p>\n
... and as the leader I have the responsibility to repair the
\nsituation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"I know reforms needed to implemented and it has been done
\nwith a good degree of success but the society needs effective law
\nenforcement which has the ability to cover the interests of the
\ngeneral public.<\/p>\n
People should understand that by always saying 'no', does not
\nmean that problems will be solved,\" the governor said.<\/p>\n
He is optimistic that more and more Jakartans would understand
\nthe policies taken by his administration.<\/p>\n
\"If people understood the reason for every decision I have
\nmade then they would not go against me. Like the old military
\nadage, a soldier is only willing to die if he believes there is a
\ngood reason to do so,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"The main point is, just like in the military, we have to make
\npeople understand the reason for every decision we make,\" he
\nremarked.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso was at the same class with the high-profile Gen.
\n(ret). Wiranto at the National Military Academy (AMN). He
\ngraduated from the academy in 1968.<\/p>\n
He spent most of his military career in the elite Army Special
\nForce, Kopassus, and was the deputy chief of the special unit in
\n1992.<\/p>\n
He has taken part in many military operations in the country,
\nincluding the Seroja military operation in former province of
\nEast Timor in 1975 and the Aceh Freedom military operation.<\/p>\n
His unforgettable tour of duty in East Timor inspired him to
\nname one of his daughters with the name of the then provincial
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
Overseas training and education also added to his long
\ncurriculum vitae with a stint at the military officers training
\ncourse in Canberra, Australia for a year in 1989. He received two
\ninternships at Brigade V Airborne in Arnheim, England in 1987 and
\nat the 82d Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, United States in
\n1991.<\/p>\n
\"When I have had to deal with problems in the capital, I
\nremember the times spent in the special forces and think, I
\ntriumphed in those hardships when in the military, I can surely
\naccomplish this task as well,\" Sutiyoso said.<\/p>\n
Another thing that he had learned in the last three years is
\nthe importance of the ramifications of every decision he has to
\nmake for the welfare of some 11 million Jakartans.<\/p>\n
\"Most of the time I have had to consult experts before I make
\nany decision because everybody in the capital, councillors,
\npeople and non-government organizations frequently assess the
\nactions of the administration,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso promised that the economy in the capital will recover
\nsoon as there have been encouraging signs of an economic upturn.
\nFurthermore, the implementation of the regional autonomy plan,
\nwhich theoretically would provide benefits to the city, is just a
\nfew weeks away.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that when he took the position as governor in
\n1998, the revenue of the city was only Rp 1.7 trillion. The
\nfigure rose to almost double that to Rp 3.2 trillion on the
\nsecond year of his term.<\/p>\n
The revenue in the 2000 City Budget has been set to reach Rp
\n4.05 trillion, while the figure in the coming budget is estimated
\nto total some Rp 7.49 trillion.<\/p>\n
\"From the drastic improvement in the city's revenue, I feel
\nconfident that the situation will improve the welfare of the
\npeople and they will recover from the economic hardship,\"
\nSutiyoso said.<\/p>\n
\"With more revenue and more authority, due in part to the
\nimplementation of the regional autonomy next month, we can
\ndevelop the capital and use resources that will benefit all
\nJakartans,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The big different between the capital and the other provinces
\nis that Jakarta does not have any natural resources, Sutiyoso
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
But the major advantages of the province is it's number of
\nqualified human resources.<\/p>\n
\"There are many intelligent people in Jakarta, and we have
\nmany financial sources from taxes and valuable assets in the
\ncapital. We actually could build Jakarta as a service and trading
\ncity like Singapore,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"With the coming regional autonomy, the governor will have the
\nauthority to introduce a global plan and develop the province. I
\nam sure that the city will once again thrive like before the
\ncrisis.\"<\/p>\n
However, he underlined in order to make Jakarta a service
\ncity, security issues will need to be addressed.<\/p>\n
Lack of coordination within the Jakarta police sometimes
\nhamper his effort to improve the security situation in the city.<\/p>\n
\"That is why I am focusing the coming budget on security
\nmatters because when people feel secure they will operate
\nbusinesses here,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully, there will be a clear regulation about the
\nposition of the police. If this can be established and the
\ngovernor had the authority over the police then I feel that the
\nimplementation of a better city security system can be achieved,\"
\nSutiyoso added.<\/p>\n
When asked about his aspirations for the last two-years of his
\ntenure, Sutiyoso said he wish to establish a strong base for the
\ncapital so his predecessor will have a smooth path to build
\nJakarta on and continue the legacy he will have left for
\nincreased prosperity.<\/p>\n
\"Let me be the governor that deals with the tough problems and
\nconstructs a strong base for the capital.<\/p>\n
I wish to be remembered as a good governor. After that I can
\nrest and take care of my family,\" he closed the conversation.<\/p>\n
Governor Sutiyoso is married to Setyorini, 46 and they have
\ntwo daughters, Yessi Riana Diliyanti, 25, and Renny Yofnita
\nArianti, 20.<\/p>",
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