'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