Low-cost housing tops C. Jakarta mayor's agenda

Central Jakarta has a new mayor. Former City Hall spokesman, Muhayat, was installed as mayor by Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, replacing Hosea Petra Lumbun on Thursday.

Leading the municipality -- that hosts vital government offices, including the presidential palace, and foreign embassies -- is a tough task for Muhayat due to the existing problems such as street vendors and housing.

Born on April 27, 1951, Muhayat, a Betawi (native Jakartan), revealed that his close relationship with the press has made him a more open-minded person.

He shared his views with journalists, including The Jakarta Post's Damar Harsanto, on how to manage street vendors and provide proper and affordable housing for the poor. Here is an excerpt of the interview.

Question: What will you do to deal with public issues in the city?

Answer: I have to work together with officials at the provincial level as well as other related parties to develop Central Jakarta. So, I have to involve as many people as possible from different walks of life.

Do you plan to propose any new policies in the future?

A mayor implements the policies of the city administration. I am not a policy maker. What has been decided by the governor must be implemented by the mayors. If the mayors fail to implement the policies, we will be held responsible.

(Muhayat referred to Sutiyoso's warning that he would not tolerate officials who do not perform well. The governor is giving a six-month trial period for the new officials).

Your predecessor had said the biggest problem in the municipality is the management of street vendors. Your comment?

We have to acknowledge that street vendors exist. We have registered them and let them operate in certain locations. The regulation says we have to conduct an annual evaluation to determine whether or not they can continue to operate there.

I will ask my subordinates to prevent more street vendors from entering public places that are currently occupied by unregistered ones.

Of course, I will give street vendors a chance to run their business. For example, they can operate in designated places at certain times. But, we must be sure that they are under our control and follow the existing regulation.

What sanctions will be imposed on subdistrict and district chiefs if they fail to meet expectations?

The sanction includes dismissal if the chiefs fail to make their areas well-ordered. In the near future, subdistrict and district chiefs will have greater authority to decide on many issues, including public order and sanitation, thanks to a bigger fund allocation from the administration.

However, I also ask vendors to be cooperative. We allow them to run their businesses but they have to keep the locations orderly and clean. If they can't do that, they must stop their operations.

How about housing for the poor?

In the past, many low-cost apartment projects were ineffective because the relevant agencies including the Jakarta Housing Agency was unprepared.

The administration has proposed the idea that the poor move to a better area, in this case low-cost apartments, instead of slums. Unfortunately, we have not received a good response from the people.

To be frank, what kind of apartment do you think is suitable for Jakartans?

The best example of low-cost apartments is in Cengkareng, West Jakarta. The governor has decided that the project -- each apartment is 36-square-meters with two rooms -- is the most appropriate for the poor.

People living along the riverbanks are advised to move into low-cost apartments. Since the apartments are mostly located far from their former homes, we will work in partnership with businesspeople as was done in the Cengkareng project. We will help provide jobs for the people, who are mostly unemployed.

It is impossible for us to build apartments in the city center due to space constraints. To build housing on stilts along the riverbanks is against the city master plan.

I will talk to land owners in slums and densely-populated areas, to ask them to give away part of their land for the construction of low-cost apartments so we can provide a healthier environment with open and green spaces.