Governor calls of rebuilding of capital
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso made a passionate appeal to residents on Tuesday to join hands with him in rebuilding the city whose image abroad has been shattered by violent unrest over the past year.
In a speech marking Jakarta's 472nd anniversary at City Hall, Sutiyoso said residents had every reason to be proud of having passed the general election this month and the preceding campaign period with relative calm and order.
Residents, he said, should find inspiration from the history of their city, and use this year's anniversary "as an occasion to reinvigorate the spirit of rebuilding Jakarta, restore its image and to catch up with other large cities around the world".
The governor made the speech during a plenary session of the Jakarta Legislative Council which was also attended by Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid.
"The commitment to rebuild the city should begin with all residents' realization and sincerity of their pride and love toward Jakarta through a development process that honors equal rights, mutual respect and the spirit for harmonious coexistence," Sutiyoso said.
People should feel grateful that the city's social and economic conditions were gradually recovering in spite of the election process that could have disrupted the peace, he said.
The capital will soon be called to task again with the general session of the People Consultative Assembly (MPR), which is scheduled to elect a new president in November.
Sutiyoso urged residents to prepare themselves to play the good hosts. "Let us greet the MPR members with hospitality, cool and calm, and wish them a successful meeting."
The governor added that it was his obsession to bring the city out of the current economic crisis.
There have been speculations about the future of Sutiyoso if Golkar is defeated by PDI-Perjuangan in Jakarta in the general election.
Minister Syarwan, however, told reporters after the meeting that Sutiyoso should continue to serve until his term ends in 2002.
"Everything has run smoothly under Sutiyoso's leadership so there is no reason to replace him," he said.
Sutiyoso said last week he was ready to leave his position if the new government no longer believed in his leadership. "If the people consider me incapable of leading, I will bow to their will. As a human being, I have many shortcomings," he said.
For the second year running, the anniversary celebration of this city of 10 million was kept modest, attesting to the crisis that is still engulfing the country and its capital.
There were few banners and signs to indicate that the city was commemorating its anniversary. Many residents even forgot, or simply did not care.
Rasno, a bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle) driver from Cidodol in South Jakarta, said he was too preoccupied with making a living to think about celebrating the capital's birthday.
"The various disturbances in recent months have hurt my income so I have to work extra to make up for lost ground," he said.
Lina, a cigarette vendor, said people in her neighborhood in Kebon Sirih rarely celebrated Jakarta's anniversary the way they would with Indonesia's Independence Day on Aug. 17.
"You can't see anything different in Kebon Sirih," she said.
Special discounts being offered in connection with Jakarta's anniversary by shops in Plaza Indonesia, Plaza Senayan and Sarinah Department Stores also failed to generate interest. Most shops reported regular sales.
Separately, Wiyogo Atmodarminto, who was governor from 1987 to 1992, said the city administration's main priority should now be to help the millions of poor residents get through the economic hardship.
Helping the poor was more important than planning about the city's development, he said. "Just help the little people get through the crisis," he said.
Wiyogo said he found it hard to understand the legislative council's recent decision to approve the administration's plan to hike 23 kinds of levies for public and business services.
"The council members have made a grave mistake," he said. (ind/ylt)