Activist examines Jakarta warts and all
Jakarta, Metropolis Tunggang-Langgang (Jakarta, The Helter- Skelter Metropolis) Marco Kusumawijaya, GagasMedia, 2004 233 pp
"Jakarta has made many people frustrated for it fails to be a home to live in, although it clearly shows its capability to be that."
That is how environmental expert Marco Kusumawijaya opens this slim paperback volume. It's provocative, in keeping with Marco's reputation as a nagging thorn in the side of the Jakarta administration in criticizing its policies.
Although he may come across as a rabble-rouser to some, the Jakarta-Governor Sutiyoso's equivalent of Bush administration nemesis Michael Moore, his sometimes lone voice in the wilderness of yes men and women hits our consciences. And the same can be said for this thought-provoking book.
He is clearly infuriated by the fragmentary policies carried out by the Jakarta administration, and he underlines the poor, half-baked planning in almost all sectors of city life.
Commenting on the bevy of high-cost transportation projects, like the TransJakarta Busway, monorail and subway, he offers a simple question: Where to put the pedicab, which is among one of most non-polluting means of transportation, amid the brouhaha over the new, "luxury" forms of getting around?
He reacts angrily to the massive and aggressive construction activities of central business districts, plush malls and upscale industrial complexes. He lambastes the administration for ignoring the need to allocate space for street vendors or provide open spaces for people to interact with each other.
Marco also highlights historical aspects in the development of Jakarta over its 477-year history, the oldest capital in the Southeast Asia region.
He emphasizes that ignorance about history amid the push for changes in the city's architecture and landscape will lead to Jakarta losing its unique identity. Uncontrollable development will only immerse residents in a deep morass of fatigue, caused by striving for survival in the bustling city while yearning for a better quality of life.
However, as the book is a compilation of Marco's writings published in newspapers from 2000 to 2004, it reads more like a brainstorming session of ideas than an in-depth study of the issues.
The collective force of the articles may bring readers to desperation point, feeling that Jakarta really is a city without hope.
Fortunately, Marco, despite his diatribe against all that is wrong with the city, still harbors hope.
Marco concludes with a prayer which is often whispered in the daydream of a newborn baby:
"Insyaallah (God willing)...Wabarakalah. (And God may bless) Do not cry too much Do not get upset too much Don't forget always to remember Don't leave your heart empty Don't let your blood get dirty. Puah. Alhamdullilah. (Thanks God) (Alkatiri, 1999).
Maybe that is the reason he agreed to run in the 2002 Jakarta gubernatorial election when non-governmental organization Jakarta Residents Forum lent its support to him. For he, like so many fellow Jakartans, wants a better, more humane and hospitable city, and knows that it's possible. Unfortunately, he failed. -- Damar Harsanto