I recently read the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government\u2019s magazine, the\nJuly 2026 edition: \u2018100 Years of Ali Sadikin.\u2019 I found it interesting\nthat Ali Sadikin was a figure who dared to make unpopular policies that\ntruly mattered for the people. Remarkably, Ali Sadikin was also\nanti-feudalism, even towards the children of nobility. That is a\nmeaningful legacy for today\u2019s DKI Jakarta Provincial Government, shaping\nits bureaucrats to break free from feudalism, to dare to think, to dare\nto make unpopular decisions, and to dare to think \u2018out of the box\u2019 while\nremaining oriented towards the public interest.<\/p>\n
Ali Sadikin\u2019s legacy in the development of Jakarta is not merely\nphysical infrastructure, but the very foundation of Jakarta\u2019s vision as\na metropolitan city. During his leadership, he developed Ancol as a\nrecreational area, Taman Ismail Marzuki as a cultural centre, terminals\nand markets to support mobility and the economy, the Pulo Gadung\nindustrial area, as well as health, education, and sports facilities,\nand public spaces. He also strengthened Betawi identity and structured\nJakarta\u2019s administration into five city areas. Behind all this, Ali\nSadikin was known for his courage in seeking development financing\nsources by optimising regional revenue. His greatest legacy is the\nmindset that urban development must be integrated: possessing a vision,\nsupported by strong fiscal capacity, delivering public services, while\nsimultaneously building the identity and quality of life of its\ncitizens.<\/p>\n
Jakarta residents did not make a mistake in choosing Pramono Anung as\ntheir current governor. To me, Pramono Anung is not just a senior\npolitical figure, but a technocrat who truly ensures the system works.\nThis starts from the technocrats surrounding the governor, the\nbureaucrats from the provincial to the sub-district level, down to the\nfield officers who continuously work to serve the community. This is the\nessence of how Governor Pramono Anung inherits Ali Sadikin\u2019s legacy and\nbuilds Jakarta through a \u2018Super Team\u2019 based on technocracy. From the\npolicy of providing free education to students in 103 private schools\nwith a budget allocation of IDR 253.6 billion, the plan to open a\nTransJakarta route to the Thousand Islands in 2027, the LPDP Pemprov DKI\nJakarta scholarship, the expansion of the TransJakarta network, to\nfiscal innovations through the issuance of regional bonds and the\nstrengthening of Regional-Owned Enterprises, these policies demonstrate\na direction of governance reform that deserves appreciation.<\/p>\n
I must say honestly, the prowess of the DKI Jakarta Provincial\nGovernment is supported by a Bappeda that productively generates\ninnovation, an Inspectorate that builds a corruption prevention system,\nBUMDs that are driven to be productive, and various institutions that\nwork as a system. From my experience, this is what needs to be fixed in\nother regional governments. Many regional Bappeda tend to be passive,\nmerely carrying out administrative and ceremonial functions, without\nsufficiently producing policy ideas or innovations. The essence of\npublic policy is not to stop at populist programmes, but to be directed\nat expanding access to services, strengthening fiscal capacity, and\nbuilding regional institutions that are more adaptive and sustainable.\nThrough this approach, development is not only visible in macro\nindicators and index achievements but is also felt at the grassroots\nlevel.<\/p>\n
It is at this point that bureaucratic reform finds its meaning:\nbuilding a \u2018super team\u2019 that works collaboratively, is data-based, and\nis oriented towards one main goal, namely delivering public services\nthat are easier, more effective, and responsive to community needs.\nWithout intending to give excessive praise, the technocracy and \u2018super\nteam\u2019 model built by the Governor and Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta,\nPramono Anung and Rano Karno, together with their special staff and\nbureaucratic ranks, deserves to be a reference for other regions. A\n\u2018super team\u2019 can only be built on the foundation of meritocracy, by\nplacing competent, high-integrity, and high-achieving individuals\naccording to their fields and capacities. The quality of development is\nnot solely determined by the size of the fiscal capacity owned, but by\nhow adept the government is at managing, directing, and translating that\ncapacity into productive and impactful policies.<\/p>\n
It is true that fiscal strength is one of the main foundations for\nsuccessful development. However, if a large fiscal space is not managed\nwith a technocratic approach, supported by a competent bureaucracy, and\ntranslated through solid teamwork, can development truly be massive,\ndirected, and sustainable? If you ask around 500 regional heads in\nIndonesia, perhaps almost all of them desire the fiscal strength\npossessed by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government. Strong fiscal\ncapacity certainly provides greater room for regional governments to\nbuild, deliver public services, and finance various policy innovations.\nHowever, fiscal strength is not merely a matter of how large the budget\nis. A far more important question is: do regional governments have the\ncapability and competence to manage it? This question is especially\nrelevant for regional heads who still see their position as a space for\ntransactional interests.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/super-team-and-technocracy-lessons-from-jakarta-for-regional-leaders-1786510283", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }