Authority needed to supervise city plan: Wiyogo
JAKARTA (JP): Former Jakarta governor Wiyogo Atmodarminto yesterday criticized the absence of an authority to oversee the Greater Jakarta city plan.
Wiyogo, who governed Jakarta from 1987 to 1992, said the authority would help prevent conflicts of interest between Jakarta and surrounding townships under the West Java administration.
"It's up to the central government to decide whether the authority is given to a minister or a governor," he said after attending a ceremony at City Council to install Jakarta's new governor. "But there should be an authority to assure better management in Greater Jakarta developments."
He said that under one authority there would be better coordination and less violation of the city plan, which is being reviewed by a team under the auspices of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas).
"If the authority is not being formed, the city plan will be useless. Realize it or not, our weakness is in implementation."
The establishment of the Bappenas team was just a step toward enhancing the coordination of development both in Jakarta and West Java, he said.
"It's a pity if such an effort is not backed by an authority to control it," Wiyogo said.
The team will reevaluate and suggest adjustments to the Presidential Instruction No. 13/1976 on Greater Jakarta's development plans based on current conditions and future predictions.
The team is also required to prepare a draft presidential decree on integrated city plans for certain areas in Greater Jakarta and then present it to the National Spatial Plan Coordination Board and the Jakarta and West Java governors.
Wiyogo urged the central government to pay serious attention to problems in Jakarta because of the absence of a detailed plan for Greater Jakarta.
"Jakarta's problems should be considered national problems and become the central government's first priority," he said. "Now, the city is already facing water shortages due to a series of violations of the city plan."
He was referring to the construction of residential sites in South Jakarta, which was a designated water catchment area in the city plan.
The administration is in the process of finalizing the revision of the 1985/2005 city plan in preparation for the 1997/2010 plan. The revision is intended to meet development needs.
West Java Governor Nuriana, who also attended yesterday's ceremony, said that Bappenas' coordination team was expected to come up with an integrated city plan for Greater Jakarta.
However, he said, the team was only responsible for the plan's revision and it does not "control the governors".
His administration's budget is not adequate to solve the problems which affect Jakarta and West Java, such as traffic congestion caused by commuters living in Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi but working in Jakarta.
"I hope the Jakarta administration and central government can work together to solve the problems," Nuriana said.
For instance, they could cooperate in building alternative roads to prevent further traffic congestion during rush hours, he said.
He expects that the newly installed Jakarta governor, Sutiyoso, will enhance development cooperation with West Java.
"I expect him to continue what we've started, such as good cooperation with BKSP Jabotabek," Nuriana said.
BKSP Jabotabek was the only agency responsible for the coordination of the development programs in Jakarta and its surrounding areas in West Java.
BKSP will assist the Bappenas team prepare Greater Jakarta's city plan. (ste)