Ministry OKs Cipasera municipality

Ministry OKs Cipasera municipality

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

A study by the Ministry of Home Affairs shows that the districts
of Ciputat, Pamulang, Serpong, Pondok Aren, Cisauk and
Pagedangan, collectively known as Cipasera, have met the
requirements to become a separate regency from Tangerang, Banten.

Djoko, one of those who carried out the study, said the six
districts had a score of 3,280, significantly higher than the
2,228 required by Government Regulation No. 121/2000.

The score is an accumulative score of 40 variables of public
facilities and their ratio in comparison with the total
population in the area. The 40 variables include empty land,
telephone network, electricity supply, hospitals, public health
centers, roads, schools, public transportation, resident's
income, social organizations, the arts, as well as cultural and
tourism potential.

Public pressure has been increasing for the establishment of
the Cipasera regency, but Tangerang regent Ismet Iskandar has
strongly rejected the idea, arguing that the six districts were
not ready to become an independent regency.

Ismet, instead, planned to establish two municipalities --
Ciputat and Serpong -- by 2010. Under his plan, the Ciputat
municipality would cover Ciputat, Pamulang and Pondok Aren
districts, while Serpong would cover Serpong, Cisauk and
Pegedangan districts.

Responding to people's demand, the Ministry of Home Affairs
decided to conduct a study on whether or not the six districts
were ready to become an independent regency.

Hidayat Suhali, secretary-general of the Joint Committee for
the Establishment of Cipasera Municipality (Komber) said that the
finding meant that the six districts were more suited to being
merged into a regency than into two new towns as suggested by
Regent Ismet.

"If Ciputat, Pamulang and Pondok Aren are merged into a new
municipality, there will be no more empty land that can be used
since the three districts have developed business and residential
housing areas, whereas empty land is still available in Serpong,
Cisauk and Pagedangan," he told The Jakarta Post.

Tangerang regency has a total of 26 districts including
Ciputat, Pamulang, Serpong, Pondok Aren, Pagedangan and Cisauk.

The six districts contribute up to 40 percent of the regency's
Rp 370 billion annual revenue.

Komber, whose members comprise social organizations, religious
groups, academicians, professionals and businessmen, submitted on
Wednesday the result of the study to Tangerang council's special
committee in charge of looking into the possibility of
establishing an independent Cipasera regency.

Any move to set up a separate Cipasera regency, however, would
have to get the nod from Regent Ismet.

Margiono, chairman of the coordinating body (Bakor) for the
establishment of Cipasera regency, said Bakor and Komber
appreciated the council's response to people's demand for a new
regency.

"We hope that the special committee will really look into the
results of the study and follow it up soon so that the new
municipality can be formed in 2006," he said.

Councillor Abdul Muin Basuni, who chaired the special
committee promised that he and 23 other committee members would
discuss the study as soon as possible.