Experts cold-shoulder Adipura award winners
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Central Jakarta and South Jakarta may have impressed the judges of the Adipura awards, being honored on Monday in the category of cleanest metropolis, but environmentalists were decidedly unimpressed.
"I am really stunned by that ... I do not think they deserve an award because they are guilty of what I call the urban neglect of their residents," environmentalist Darrundono told The Jakarta Post.
Darrundono said the aggressive development in the two municipalities was clearly failing to benefit all residents.
"Unfortunately, we see that the two administrations treat poor residents, like street vendors, for example, very poorly, blaming them for illegally occupying restricted public places. But at the same time, they turn a blind eye to the big money converting cemeteries into shopping malls and plush apartments," he said.
He said both the Central Jakarta municipality office on Jl. Tanah Abang I and the South Jakarta municipality office on Jl. Iskandarsyah occupied land that had been designated as green areas.
"What a bad example to set. They should be given awards for the worst environmental management," he said.
In observance of World Environment Day on June 5, the Indonesian government honored individuals for their conservation work with Kalpataru awards, and regional administrations with Adipura awards.
Central Jakarta municipality was ranked first in the Adipura award for metropolitan cities, followed by Medan in North Sumatra and South Jakarta.
The awards ceremony was held at Cipanas Palace, Bogor, and was presided over by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Green activist Ahmad Safrudin was quick to point out the numerous urban headaches the two municipalities had failed to address, such as a lack of clean water, the absence of a proper sewerage system, chronic traffic jams, acute air pollution and rampant violations in the use of land.
"I think the two municipalities still have a long way to go before they can claim to be performing in accordance with environmentally friendly principles.
"There is lots to be done by the two cities to improve their respective environments," he said.
Central Jakarta Mayor Muhayat acknowledged that winning the Adipura award did not mean that there were no problems in the municipality.
"The Adipura award in the metropolitan city category was awarded to us based on the jury's consideration of our environmental management of our rivers, roads, terminals, waste treatment and housing. But the award does not reflect the whole situation in the field, as only certain things were taken into account," Muhayat told the Post.
He emphasized that his municipality would not be complacent, but would continue to introduce improvements in other areas.
The mayor strongly denied his administration's recent aggressiveness in evicting street vendors was part of some ploy to win the award.
"It has nothing to do with the award. We just want to enforce the prevailing regulations and ensure that public places are not disturbed by the omnipresent street vendors," he said.
South Jakarta Mayor Dadang Kafrawi was unavailable for comment on the award.