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)