City should manage all properties: Sutiyoso

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso plans to ask the central government for the authority to manage all government-supervised properties in the capital.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Sutiyoso said the request was in line with the reform spirit, which included the idea of provincial autonomy.

The current system, he added, had only created problems for the city administration, such as the many instances of overlapping spatial planning.

"I think if we were given full authority to manage the city, a case like Hotel Mulia's at the Senayan sports complex wouldn't happen," the governor said, referring to the five-star hotel which had violated a city regulation and has refused to pay the subsequent fine.

The 279-hectare sports complex is under the supervision of the Gelora Senayan Management Board, chaired by the state secretary.

Sutiyoso did not say whether the city would be able to enjoy more revenues should it be given the authority to manage all government-supervised properties.

He only said he would propose the idea as soon as he could meet with the appropriate government officials.

Besides Senayan sports complex, the city administration is also willing to take over the management of, among other places, the former Kemayoran airport in Central Jakarta and Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta, both controlled by the central government, he said.

"It's the right time to hand over management of these places to the city administration."

The state-run Kemayoran Development and Control Board is planning to develop a new township, Kota Baru Bandar, in the Kemayoran area.

The township is to be the home to dozens of major development projects, including the ambitious 558-meter-high Jakarta Tower, a nine-hole golf course, a sophisticated business and telecommunications center, luxury apartments, schools and hospitals.

The area is surrounded by the Jakarta Fairgrounds complex, low-cost apartments, reservoirs and a green area.

Managed by the state-owned PT Pelindo II port authority, Tanjung Priok Port is the country's largest port facility serving international and domestic passenger and cargo vessels.

"The port is not only related to technical matters but also the city's activities. That's why the administration should have the authority to manage it," Sutiyoso said. (ind)