Asset dispute settlement goes off rails

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An attempt by Jakarta's Regional Representatives Council (DPD) members to settle land disputes between the city administration and the central government hit a snag on Tuesday as the Ministry of Transportation and the State Secretariat failed to show up for a scheduled meeting.

The city administration has been locked in dispute with the central government over the right to manage the Bung Karno sports complex, the former Kemayoran airport in Central Jakarta and the Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta.

Under Law No. 22/1999 on regional administration and Law No. 34/1999 on Jakarta as a special capital territory, the Jakarta administration has authority over special autonomous areas such as the Bung Karno sports complex and the former Kemayoran airport, the seaport, airport and toll roads.

However, Law No. 32/2004 that amends Law No. 22/1999 states that specific zones needed for specific government functions shall be directly managed by the central government.

DPD members Marwan Batubara and Biem Benjamin invited relevant agencies, including the city administration, State Secretariat, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Office of the State Minister for Youth and Sports Affairs and the Ministry of Transportation, to a meeting on Tuesday.

Unfortunately, the State Secretariat, which is responsible for the Bung Karno sports complex and the land at the site of the ex- Kemayoran airport and the transportation ministry ignored the DPD invitation sent last week.

Governor Sutiyoso said on Tuesday the central government had no political will to hand over the assets to the city administration.

"Frankly, we are already tired (of the disputes). But we insist on taking over the assets because the regulation is still there," Sutiyoso said in the hearing on Tuesday.

Eko Prasojo, an administrative reform analyst with the University of Indonesia (UI), said the contradictory contents of the relevant laws -- Law No. 34/1999 and Law No. 32/2004 -- were the source of the disputes.

"To resolve the problem, there should be a political decision from the House of Representatives about the issue," said Eko, who is also an advisor to the state minister for administrative reforms.

Eko called for the enactment of a new bill to settle the disputes.

He said that the proposed law should specify in detail who was authorized to manage special areas.

"For example, the central government may have the authority to regulate the management of a special area, while the city administration is authorized to manage it," he added.

Marwan said that DPD would continue to mediate between the disputing parties to overcome the problems.

"It is only an initial step in our efforts to resolve the problems comprehensively. We will come to a definite conclusion about who has the right to manage the dispute land," said Marwan.