'Sutiyoso, I'm not impressed at all'<\/p>\n
There are probably lots of people operating under the assumption
\nthat fashion designers are not all that interested in politics
\nand the bureaucracy. But just like most other people in the
\ncapital, designers have an opinion about Governor Sutiyoso, whose
\nfive-year term will end in October.<\/p>\n
Oscar Lawalata, 25, a talented young designer who was born in
\nPekanbaru, Riau, but grew up in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
My impression of Sutiyoso? I am not impressed at all. He did
\nnothing memorable.<\/p>\n
What I remember about him is his failure to prevent the
\n(recent) floods and his handling of the victims. I was not one of
\nthe victims but I know they suffered. Some of my employees did
\nnot come to work because of the floods.<\/p>\n
He also did nothing to help develop the fashion industry, like
\nuniting fashion designers with the textile or garment industry.<\/p>\n
Sebastian Gunawan, born in Jakarta 35 years ago, a prominent
\ndesigner.<\/p>\n
There is nothing special about Sutiyoso. I don't want to talk
\nabout politics. It's a sensitive issue.<\/p>\n
I have been in the fashion world for nine years. I started my
\ncareer before Sutiyoso became governor. I don't think that he has
\nanything to do with it (my career).<\/p>\n
What I can say is that there must be both positive and
\nnegative things about him. The most terrible thing was the May
\nriots (in 1998). My neighbors' houses were burned and looted.
\nCompared to that time, the situation is better now.<\/p>\n
Traffic jams are getting worse and many roads are in poor
\ncondition ... especially after the floods.<\/p>\n
There are many problems that should have been addressed more
\nproperly, such as urbanization and evictions. If the
\nadministration wants to evict people, there should be
\ncompensation for the victims and the evictions should be carried
\nout according to proper procedures.<\/p>\n
I don't care if Sutiyoso is reelected.<\/p>\n
Poppy Darsono, 45, the former chairwoman of the Association of
\nIndonesian Fashion Designers and Manufacturers, has lived in
\nJakarta since 1963.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso is my friend, but this does not necessarily mean that
\nhe should be reelected. The election should be held in accordance
\nwith all proper procedures.<\/p>\n
Jakarta is such a big city with so many problems. Whoever the
\ngovernor is, he has a tough job. It has become a mega-city,
\nwithout proper infrastructure or human resources.<\/p>\n
I think the most successful governor was Ali Sadikin. He paid
\nattention to the people, including the transvestites. He built
\nthe Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center and the Jakarta Design
\nCenter in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, even though the design
\ncenter was later abandoned ....<\/p>\n
Don't blame Sutiyoso for all of the problems we are facing,
\nlike flooding and the garbage. People throw garbage into the
\nriver .... We have to engage in some introspection. Look at
\nourselves. What have we done?<\/p>\n
We have many intellectuals in the city, we should not just
\ndepend on the leader. It's the responsibility of all of us.<\/p>\n
Anyway, the administration should be more transparent in the
\nuse of funds, for example by being more open in holding tenders
\nfor their projects. -- JP<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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