City said to be in acute excess of carrying capacity
JAKARTA (JP): As Jakarta celebrates its 267th anniversary, the growing demands of over 8 million people deplete the city's over extended resources, prompting a prominent resident to declare the city is in dire straits.
"We must be candid and say the city has expended to its carrying capacity," said former Vice-Governor Bun Yamin Ramto.
In an interview with The Jakarta Post, the city's former Vice- Governor for Economic and Development Affairs explained that Jakarta can no longer sustain the heavy burden of the excessive activities concentrated here.
Bun Yamin cited the congested traffic situation and the level of pollution as examples of the critical condition.
Bun Yamin Ramto served as vice-governor of Jakarta from 1984 to 1988 and currently teaches at the National Defense Institute (Lemhanas).
Apart from the perennial problems of urbanization, Bun Yamin believes that the weak integrated planning of the government in curbing the growth of suburban cities has only added to the demands on Jakarta.
According to Bun Yamin the development of various new satellite cites in the surrounding townships do nothing to help alleviate the problems.
"If they (the satellite cities) are self-sufficient then there is no problem, but in reality the inhabitants still work and carry out all their activities in Jakarta," he said.
Numerous developments outside Jakarta have cropped-up in the past few years, dubbed "satellite cities" by their developers.
Bun Yamin questioned the conduct of the townships in allowing the development of these towns which create further headaches for Jakarta.
Bogor, Bekasi and Tangerang are doing what they like without considering the formidable consequences it creates to the inner- city, he said.
"In Bekasi alone there are 200 locations being built for housing, and look at the area between Bogor and Depok...it is all real estate projects where it should have been a green area."
Besides the ensuing traffic jams created by the daily mass commuting, there are other problems such as pollution and litter brought in by 13 rivers which flow through Jakarta.
"We need integrated planning that is honestly carried-out," Bun Yamin said.
He stresses the need for authorities throughout greater Jakarta to work out an integrated plan, mutually respecting the problems they face.
Bun Yamin contends that planning is an essential ingredient to any success in solving the city's problems.
"Unfortunately we still lack this, we trivialize planning." he said, adding that often solutions are haphazard and uncoordinated and ignorant of the long term repercussions.
Urbanization
In tackling the problem of urbanization, Bun Yamin called for a national effort that would limit the mobility of people to settle in Jakarta without a legitimate reason.
"Whoever the Governor is, he will not be able to solve any problems if the number of people coming into Jakarta is not limited," Bun Yamin said.
He thus appealed for a national policy which allows only for those with a job waiting for them or an acceptance into a state university to move to the city.
Jakarta since the late 1970's has in fact been declared a "closed city." However this declaration has had little effect with the population doubling since then.
"For years urbanization has always been a problem, it cannot be solved by the governor alone," Bun Yamin said.
In relation to this the former vice-governor also emphasized the necessity to reduce the city's activities. Bun Yamin claims that too many activities are located here.
"We have given too much for the city to do, it is the center of everything," he stated.
Among other things Jakarta is officially a center of government, commerce, banking, services, tourism and conventions.
"Don't put everything here...we don't need to be a tourism and convention center, give them to Bandung or the surrounding areas," Bun Yamin urged. (mds)