On land usage

In your report on Cibubur Camping Ground, Sunday, Feb. 25, it is written that one of Sarana Jaya's directors, Kemal Basha, said that they do not need council approval to run their business.

I think it is important to clarify that there is a distinction between one's business in selling/buying land and the usage of the land. Yes, ownership of a piece of land is an individual right that cannot be intervened with in any way by the government and the state. But the usage of the land is very much in public interest, and governments/states all over the world are entrusted with regulating it on behalf of the public. That is why we have a "spatial plan", "zoning plan" and other regulations over land usage in the first place. It would have been unimaginable how a city can develop as a healthy environment if this government function was taken away.

We know very well that it has been a practice by owners of big chunks of land to lobby the government to change existing zoning so as to let their land be used for purposes other than stated in the plans. Sometimes these "changes" are accompanied by other "requests" to increase the floor-area ratio that would allow a higher density, more square meters of floor space for building. In effect, this will increase land prices. Many changes over land use in Jakarta's master plans have been made on this basis. It does not require a genius to see that this is a major source of corruption, collusion and nepotism. It is time now that the public at large learn about this seemingly "technical" matter, as it is often made to sound by city officials.

The change of land use at Cibubur from Jakarta Master Plan 1985-2005 ("recreation/sports", p.25, "areas to be restricted from development to minimize run-off water", p.54, and "protected forest & tourist forest", p.60) to Jakarta Master Plan 2010 ("low density public facility", drawing 23) must be watched with concern, as it may or may not be used as an excuse to develop a mall there. Luckily, in this master plan, in drawing 04, the Cibubur camping ground is still identified as "recreational green, sports, city's parks". Surely one cannot logically argue that a hypermall would qualify into any of those categories.

In the past, "requests" to change land use to make new developments "legal" have been made, under the table and behind closed doors, without any public consent. In all civilized countries, that way is wrong and deemed criminal. A request for change must be subject to public hearing and debates before a decision is made, sometimes by an independent citizen panel.

This clarification may read "technical", but it is time for citizens to be equally technical to argue with city officials.

MARCO KUSUMAWIJAYA

Architect and Urban Expert

Jakarta