Expert says public should be involved in city planning
JAKARTA (JP): The government should encourage greater public participation in spatial planning, in line with its ambition to privatize more development projects, an expert suggested yesterday.
The public is currently hardly involved in spatial planning, Sujana Royat, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Spatial Master Planners (IAP) said.
"Who can deny that development of regions and cities is controlled by only a number of Indonesians described as conglomerates," he said.
"It is because the conglomerates have access to information on the regional and city master plans prepared by the government," he added.
Sujana said the people's access to information on city master plans is guaranteed in Law No. 24/1992 on regional spatial planning.
"Every citizen has the right to know the spatial master plan of the areas in which they live," he said, adding that the government's development program would succeed only if the people participate.
He quoted President Soeharto's recent statement that the government would require an investment of Rp 816 trillion (US$349 billion) to achieve a 7.1 percent economic growth per year in the current five-year development plan (Pelita VI).
"Seventy five percent of the total investment is expected to come from the private sector," he quoted the president as saying.
On the same occasion, the chairman of the Center for Information and Development Studies (CIDES) Adi Sasono warned that inappropriate spatial planning may cause uneven distribution of the development gains.
He pointed out that the inter-region economic disparities could spark social unrest if they continue unchecked.
He said the problem cannot be overcome with market mechanisms alone but only with accompanying political will from the government.
According to Sasono, the uneven distribution of development gains is a delicate issue that Indonesia should solve without delay if it does not want to see more social unrest in the future.
He recalled a series of riots that occurred recently in Purwakarta, West Java; Pekalongan in Central Java and Pasuruan in East Java; and in Timika and Jayapura in Irian Jaya.
"Intense and frequent social unrest could easily disturb national stability," he warned.
In spatial planning terms, he said, it is high time for the government to start thinking of developing the regions in such a way that people will not be encouraged to stream to urban centers.
"If regions are properly developed, people wouldn't have to go to the cities to seek a better standard of living".
Greater community participation in spatial planning and regional development will be discussed in a two-day seminar co- sponsored by CIDES and IAP on May 7 to 8.
President Soeharto is scheduled to open the seminar. (imn)