City delays adoption of Seribu Islands' new status
City delays adoption of Seribu Islands' new status
JAKARTA (JP): A new deadline for the inception of Seribu
Islands administrative regency has been set for Aug. 31 at the
earliest, Deputy Governor Abdul Kahfi said on Friday.
Kahfi, who is in charge of government affairs, cited obstacles
in upgrading the administrative status of the islands as the
unprepared infrastructure.
"The main problem we are facing to speed up development in the
Seribu Islands is the limited sea transportation to and from the
island.
"There is also a lack of public facilities, schools in
particular, and limited supply of electricity," Kahfi told
reporters after a meeting on the planned improvement of the
islands' administrative status.
There is no senior high school on the islands.
The city administration earlier pledged to raise the
administrative status of the islands before the city's 478th
anniversary in June.
Quoting Law No. 34/1999 on Jakarta's status as the country's
capital, Kahfi said the Seribu Islands district would be promoted
as an administrative regency two years after the law was enacted
on Aug. 31, 1999.
"I hope we can adopt the new status before the deadline," he
said.
With an area of 69,976 square kilometers (of which 9,214
square kilometers, or 13 percent, is land), the Seribu Islands is
currently divided into four subdistricts, namely Panggang island
(13 islands), Untung Jawa island (16 islands), Tidung island (16
islands) and Kelapa island (65 islands).
The Seribu Islands district, which is currently under the
North Jakarta mayoralty, has 17,891 local residents, mostly poor
fishermen and their families.
The islands, which will consist of two districts and six
subdistricts under its new status, will not have a council but
the local authorities will have the right to manage the area on
their own initiative.
"The city administration has prepared some 97 officers to fill
posts in its new administrative regency," Kahfi said.
He said the Jakarta administration would provide official
residences for the officials.
The organizational structure of the new regency is still being
processed, together with the Jakarta's new administrative
organizations, he added.
Tangerang authorities said recently they wanted nine of the
islands located near to coastline to be recognized as their
assets, namely Rambut, Karang, Laki, Cangkir, Bokor, Karang Tiga,
Gosong, Untung Jawa and Ubi Kecil islands.
According to them, Jakarta has no reason to manage and
supervise the nine islands since, geographically, their positions
are closer to Tangerang's coast than any other part of Jakarta.
The matter is still being discussed by officials from the two
neighboring administrations. (04)