'Modern means no corrupttion'

'Modern means no corrupttion'

Today marks the official anniversary of Jakarta, the country's
capital and center of business and administration ever since the
Netherlands Indies days. The uncontrolled growth of the city over
the last 50 years, however, has led to a great many social and
economic problems. The Jakarta Post asked some residents about
their hopes for the city.

Akuat, 28, is an activist with a non-governmental organization
(NGO) in Central Jakarta. He lives with his brother in a rented
house in Pejompongan, Central Jakarta:

I have lived in Jakarta for five years. The city is really
chaotic.

The administration has performed very poorly at managing the
city's development. Anyone can build houses everywhere, while
businesspeople can build shopping malls anywhere.

Meanwhile, the traffic congestion and pollution get worse
every day. The number of private cars also continues to rise,
making the city even more congested.

That's why I choose to travel around the city by motorcycle.

I think the administration should restrict the growth in
vehicle numbers in Jakarta, by, for example, restricting further
car purchases for those who already have more than one car, or
placing restrictions on the age of cars in the city.

Reza Theodorus, 32, works at a private company in Tebet, South
Jakarta. He lives with his wife and two children in Bekasi:

Although I was born in the city, I was forced to move out to
the suburbs where I could still afford a house.

But that's OK. What I'm most concerned about is corrupt red
tape.

Jakarta should be a model for other big cities in the country,
which is in the process to trying to modernize itself. This means
better public services, where I don't have to pay a lot of money
to get a document dealt with in one day, or else have to wait for
more than two weeks.

--The Jakarta Post