Synchronizing development<\/p>\n
Jakarta's physical development has once again come under the
\nspotlight of public attention, and for obvious reasons. The
\ncapital city of Southeast Asia's largest country, Jakarta, is
\nplagued by a host of problems that threaten its very livability.
\nA solution for most of those problems seems nowhere in sight.<\/p>\n
On the contrary, many of them seem to have grown worse over
\nthe past several years as settlers from the provinces continue to
\ncome streaming in, straining the city's public facilities beyond
\ntheir limits.<\/p>\n
Despite new road construction, traffic problems are getting
\nworse every year as an ever greater number of citizens and
\ncommuters opt for driving their own private cars to escape the
\ncity's appalling public transportation system. Seasonal floods
\noccur in greater frequency, inundating ever bigger areas of the
\ncity as more and more agricultural land in the surrounding West
\nJava hinterland make way for housing developments and golf
\ncourses. Clean water -- and clean air for that matter -- is
\nincreasingly becoming a valuable commodity.<\/p>\n
As in many other developing countries, urbanization is a major
\nheadache for Jakarta. Obviously, Jakarta's problems cannot be
\nsolved by the Jakarta city administration alone. Unless the
\neffective cooperation of other regions -- especially the
\nsurrounding regencies of Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi -- can be
\nensured, no satisfactory solution is possible.<\/p>\n
It is not that this has not been long realized. It is to
\nestablish precisely such a cooperation that a special agency to
\ncoordinate development programs in Greater Jakarta -- the so-
\ncalled BKSP Jabotabek -- was created many years ago. As
\nexperience has shown, however, the results have been paltry, not
\nto say nil altogether.<\/p>\n
To be fair, the blame must not be placed at the BKSP's door.
\nFor one thing, the agency's lack of authority to do what it was
\nexpected to do -- that is, to coordinate Jakarta's and West
\nJava's diverse development programs -- made its existence
\npractically meaningless. For another, complicated and the time-
\nconsuming administrative procedures, not to mention conflicting
\nregional interests, prevented the agency from performing
\neffectively.<\/p>\n
Given all this, the recent establishment by the National
\nDevelopment Planning Board (Bappenas) of a new coordinating team
\nprovides hope that we may in the near future see a better
\nalignment of development efforts in this area. At the very least,
\nit means that the urgency for better coordination has been
\nsufficiently realized.<\/p>\n
Basically, the Greater Jakarta idea is designed to lessen the
\nindustrialization and urbanization pressures on Jakarta by
\nspreading out development efforts over a wider area. But for this
\nidea to work, effective coordination and synchronization of
\ndevelopment efforts is essential. As the floods which hit Jakarta
\nin recent years have so plainly shown us, unrestrained
\ndevelopment in the Bogor area can have disastrous consequences
\nfor Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The fact that various government agencies will be involved,
\nincluding those in the fields of nature conservation,
\nenvironment, transportation, as well as national planning and
\ngovernment administration sends out a favorable signal. The fact
\nthat the team is headed by a deputy chairman of the National
\nDevelopment Planning Board is another good indication. For the
\npresent, the best thing the public can do is to wait and see if
\nthe new team will indeed live up to the public's expectations.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/synchronizing-development-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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