Confident Jakarta 'ready for more autonomy'

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso feted the 474th anniversary of Jakarta on Friday with a declaration that the nation's capital was ready to accept greater responsibility, as well as duties, from the central government under the new regional autonomy law.

Three years after some of the worst riots ever to have rocked the city, the governor also expressed confidence that Jakarta and its eight million residents were now far more "patient and mature" in dealing with present and future challenges, including those concerning security aspects.

To drive home his point, he said the capital had successfully hosted a number of national and international events without a hitch and was now ready for more.

"Imbued with the spirit of reform and national unity, Jakarta is ready to put regional autonomy into effect," he pronounced in a speech to the City Council marking the city's anniversary.

Sutiyoso stressed empowerment, public service and development as the three basic principles underpinning the regional autonomy policy.

He said that the responsibility for realizing the goals of regional autonomy should not rest solely on the shoulders of the administration, but should involve the entire population of the capital.

The administration and City Council are currently in the process of discussing a new bylaw on the organization of the regional government so as to accommodate the newly gained autonomy.

This would entail restructuring and reorganization that would affect the number of city employees, he said without elaborating whether or not this meant layoffs in the city administration.

The Law on Regional Autonomy, which came into force on Jan. 1, gives the regions much greater power in managing their own affairs. With the central government pressed for funds, the arrangement means that the regions will have to generate much of their financing locally.

Sutiyoso said that after the initial euphoria over democracy, most Jakartans had now grasped the essence of real, dynamic life.

He described the majority of the city's residents as becoming more "patient and mature" so that they were no longer so easily roused or influenced by anarchic acts.

Jakarta has continued to see various demonstrations, almost on a daily basis, over much of the past year, but most of them passed off without incident. The latest protests this week were over the 30 percent increases in domestic fuel prices.

In May 1998, student-led antigovernment demonstrations combined with public protests over hikes in fuel prices led to the massive unrest that eventually brought down the Soeharto regime.

"The people of Jakarta have been able to discount the various rumors that are circulating and the friction among the nation's politicians, and have kept their heads cool and clear," Sutiyoso said. "The people of Jakarta have managed to distinguish and understand what is best for themselves, for their city's image, for the environment."

Sutiyoso said that the May 1998 riots provided important lessons in restoring economic activity and security in the capital.

A number of important plenary sessions of the House of Representatives, the conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the summit of the Group of 15 countries and other major events this past year attested to the more conducive security situation if Jakarta, he said.

The next big event that Jakarta would host was the Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), currently scheduled for Aug. 1.

The governor appealed to all residents to help maintain peace and order in the capital in the run up to that event, which could mean the launching of an impeachment process against President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Notwithstanding many shortcomings, Sutiyoso said Jakarta recorded many economic advances over the past year.

The economy grew by 3.62 percent in 2000, compared to a 1.29 percent contraction in 1999, and income per capita rose to Rp 6.06 million from Rp 5.02 million over the same period, he said.

The administration had also conducted various operations to restore peace and order in the city, including a joint operation with the Jakarta Police to crack down on hoodlums, or preman as they are known locally, who have been blamed for many of the security disruptions that have taken place in the city.

Sutiyoso, whose term of office is to end in 2002, also promised to continue with his efforts to establish a clean administration while at the same time improving the lot of city officials. (04/emb)