Experts cold-shoulder Adipura award winners

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.