Mayors' help sought to curb urbanization

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja has said that he will urge all 96 of Indonesia's mayors at the upcoming 11th National Inter-City Congress to help reduce the urbanization flows from their areas to Jakarta.

"They can do this by making their villages better places to live," Surjadi told a press conference on Tuesday.

The governor said he will ask the mayors to encourage their people to build `cities' in their own villages.

He said that the congress, which is scheduled to be opened by President Soeharto on July 15, in Surakarta, Central Java, will discuss coordination among city administration officials.

The two-day congress will hear presentations of accountability by the previous executive board of the mayors' organization, elect a new board and draft the programs.

Surjadi, who will also chair the congress, said that he will ask the mayors to develop nearby villages.

"This will create more jobs for the villagers and make them remain there."

He said that job opportunities are needed in the rural areas.

The ongoing protracted dry season will push the jobless villagers to urban centers to make ends meet by begging along the roads, he said.

"They do so because their villages cannot provide them with any other opportunity than farming," he said.

He has said repeatedly that Jakarta will always urge other cities to help stem the tide of urban migrants from coming here.

He added that urbanization has caused the city's surging crime rate, the increase of slum areas and increased stress.

The governor also said that the new government regulation which allows all civil servants to take two-day weekends beginning next year should be anticipated by the regency administrations.

"All regents should use the opportunity to improve their areas," he said.

President Soeharto said recently that he expects civil servants to use the long weekends to leave their hometowns to buy agricultural products at local markets.

According to the president, by visiting rural areas, townspeople will help boost the rural economy and improve the welfare of villagers. (03)