Activist examines Jakarta warts and all

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