'Autorities should have grand design for city'

Jakarta turned 477 this year. However, the older the city gets, the more problems occur. The city administration still has to deal with the same old problems -- floods, traffic jams, health and sanitation in slum areas and other issues. The Jakarta Post talked to some residents about their hopes for the capital.

Toto, 30, is a gas station attendant in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta. He lives nearby with his family:

Actually, I've never paid attention to the Jakarta Anniversary before, but I'll just hope the best for the city. I hope the city will be safer and more comfortable to live in -- no more riots or other violence.

I also hope Jakarta will always welcome all that come here and provide a decent living for all of them.

I don't think the government should put all the blame on the migrants for crowding the capital. Jakarta seems the only place being developed and they just want to earn a better living here and partake in enjoying the city's development.

Finally, I also hope there will be more festivities to commemorate the anniversary, like a free dangdut concert somewhere.

Herlina, 41, is a housewife who lives in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta with her husband and three children:

I hope Jakarta becomes a better and more modern city like other capitals and metropolises in the world.

The city administration should do its homework and promptly take action to resolve many of the city's remaining problems, like the floods, which occur annually.

We all know how Jakarta is plagued by worsening traffic jams, due to its residents' overuse of private vehicles, which in turn contributes to air pollution. I hope the administration will continue its public transportation projects of busways, monorails and subways.

The administration should also come up with some grand design for the city, which will show its uniqueness, so that Jakarta doesn't just grow into a big city without a soul.

-- The Jakarta Post