Jakarta: An old city that goes nowhere

Jakarta: An old city that goes nowhere

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta

To commemorate Jakarta's 477th anniversary, The Jakarta Post is
running special reports on problems faced by city Along with the
festivities staged by the city the private sector, the anniversary
day on Tuesday, is a good time to highlight problems faced by
Jakartans, including the lack of public transportation and proper
cheap housing.

Jakarta's Governor Sutiyoso is famous for his pithy slogans. His
latest was uttered at the groundbreaking ceremony of one of his
ambitious transportation projects, the city monorail, a week
before the city celebrated its anniversary on Tuesday, June 22.

"Jakarta -- a better city, a better life!", the governor
shouted.

It's unsurprising that many Jakartans have remained uninspired
by this call. Because, despite these words, Jakarta is still a
city with harrowing problems.

In a bid to make "a better city", the administration has been
busy with at least five projects worth billions of rupiah during
the past two years, not to mention the about Rp 500 billion
(US$53.76 million) spent on the busway project.

The renovation of Hotel Indonesia traffic circle took Rp 14
billion; the construction of Gen. Soedirman statue Rp 3.5
billion; the fencing of the National Monument (Monas) Park Rp 9
billion, while the coating of Arjuna Wijaya statue with bronze
cost the city coffers Rp 4 billion.

To enliven the celebration of Jakarta's anniversary this year,
the administration is flooding Monas with a light show worth Rp
15 billion, bringing the total spending on decorative projects to
a hefty Rp 45.5 billion.

The amount is higher than the emergency fund of Rp 40 billion
allocated to poor residents affected by the dengue fever outbreak
earlier this year.

The officials said the decorative fund was in part donated to
by private companies in exchange for advertising spots in the
city.

Still, many feel it is a glaring irony the administration paid
far less attention to finding solutions to the city's reoccurring
developmental problems -- flooding, a shortage of cheap housing,
unemployment and water and waste management.

Critics pointed to its failure to warn residents of the flood
in February 2002 that killed 30 people and forced about 300,000
into shelters.

It was also slammed for failing to predict and quickly deal
with this year's five-year peak of dengue hemorrhagic fever,
which killed 77 people and hospitalized more than 3,500.

The administration's willingness to designate areas earmarked
for city development plans into commercial areas has also been
called into question.

In the wake of the 1997 financial crisis, many companies
closed or scaled down their activities, laying off thousands of
professionals and unskilled workers.

To survive, the skilled began converting their homes into
commercial premises or established their own shops or food stalls
on sidewalks, while many of the less-fortunate unskilled
residents resorted to taking up jobs as street hawkers, beggars,
joined street gangs or turned to petty crime.

"Changes in the city's development plan are needed ... But, we
will see them case by case. In principle, any changes should not
sacrifice green and open areas," Sutiyoso said recently.

Such a case-by-case scenario, however, has raised criticism
from an outspoken observer who has written histories of the city,
Adolf Heuken.

He said the lack of a coherent road map for the city's
development had led to the administration taking discriminatory
action against many residents.

For the rich, Heuken said, the administration gave mercy,
sometimes turning a blind eye to the illegal conversion of houses
into business premises.

Meanwhile, aggressive demolition and eviction policies against
slum residents and street vendors left no breathing space for
negotiation, he said.

These discriminatory policies could also be seen in the
issuance of permits for the construction and operation of many
enterprises. Shopping malls and gas stations were often permitted
to be located near riverbanks and encroach into green areas.

Prominent Betawi (native Jakartan) observer Ridwan Saidi
voiced similar concerns about the rapid development of the city,
which he said had got out of hand.

"This is a city with a limitless demand for land development
and few controls. Evictions will be carried out aggressively
because rich conglomerates want to build plush housing estates,
offices, leased apartments for expatriates and shopping centers,"
Ridwan writes in his book Betawi dan Modernisasi Jakarta (Betawi
and the modernization of Jakarta).

"This is a city with a poor environment -- seawater intrusion,
disappearing mangrove forests, poorly-maintained parks ...
(However) people will still come and live here, or at least force
themselves to stay," he writes. As the center of the nation's
business and government the capital city would remain a magnet
for migrants, he says.

Sutiyoso, meanwhile has no difficulty waxing rhetorical about
the city's future: "We have to develop the city so that it
remains competitive in the region," was his frequent call ahead
of the anniversary.

However, his critics say concrete action, not words or
beautification projects, is what is really needed. And they're
still waiting.

Happy anniversary, Jakarta.