Public upset about Tangerang capital

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Since the Tangerang regency capital was moved to isolated Tigaraksa, some 35 kilometers west of Tangerang, in January 2000, the local community has complained about its remoteness, which has resulted in the ineffective delivery of public services.

People wishing to deal with the regency office, which was recently relocated to the newly-built capital, including staff members of sub-district and district offices, now have to spend more money, time and energy than in the past.

"I don't understand why the Tangerang authorities moved their capital city from Tangerang town to the isolated Tigaraksa," Chaerudin, a resident of Cipondoh district, Tangerang, told The Jakarta Post recently. "Perhaps thousands of other residents have been facing the same difficulties due to the isolation."

Chaerudin said he had had to spend more time, energy and money on transportation when traveling back and forth to Tigaraksa to get a building permit (IMB) at the administration office three months ago.

"It was very tiring and annoying. I think moving the regency capital and administration center to Tigaraksa without developing roads linking it with its adjacent areas was unwise and far from effective," he said.

People living in Bintaro, Ciputat, Pondok Aren, Pamulang and Serpong said the regency capital was very remote and took about three hours to reach. "Why doesn't the regency build roads or continue the development of the toll road from BSD to link the areas to Tigaraksa," Polin, a resident of Pamulang said to the Post.

Plans to move the regency capital to Tigaraksa were initiated by Tadjus Sobirin, who was Tangerang regent between 1983 and 1993. But due to widespread opposition, the plan was not implemented until Tadjus' successor, Saifullah Abdulrahman, ended his tenure in 1998.

When Agus Djunara replaced Saifullah in 1998, developer PT Panca Wiratama Sakti (PWTS) began work on the administration center, while at the same time developing a new, planned 3,000- hectare city in Tigaraksa.

Many people suspected that bribery involving a number of regency officials, including Tadjus and Djunara, played a role in the selection of Tigaraksa as the new regency capital.

But both Tadjus and Djunara have rejected such allegations, saying the plan to move the regency capital was based on a desire to develop remote districts around Tigaraksa.

According to Tadjus, many districts surrounding Tangerang such as Bintaro, Ciputat, Serpong, Ciledug, Cipondoh, Pamulang, Pondok Aren, Curug, Teluk Naga and Cikupa had developed to become trading, business and residential areas, while Tigaraksa, Kresek, Rajeg, Balaraja, Legok and Cisoka districts remained isolated and lagged behind in terms of development.

"The most effective way to develop them was by moving the regency capital from Tangerang to Tigaraksa. And the plan happened to be supported PT. Panca Wiratama Sakti," Tadjus told the Post at the regency administration's anniversary celebrations last Wednesday.

In order to solve the problem, regent Agus Djunara said his administration had formed what he called district executive units (Unit Pelaksana Kecamatan or UPK) in every district.

He said UPKs were aimed at removing the need for locals to travel to Tigaraksa for administrative services, and added that residents could receive most administrative services at a UPK.

But a staff member at the Ciputat sub-district office, who refused to be identified, said that the UPK could only process citizenship cards and family cards.

"The UPKs' problem is that they don't have the authority to deal with all administrative services. The regency has yet to delegate its authority to the UPKs to enable them to provide services such as issuing licenses and processing data for the public," he said.

At present, the regency's agencies in Tigaraksa still dominated the management of public services, even though the district and sub-district offices had been hailed as the regency's extended hands through the UPKs, he said.

Regent Agus Djunara, however, defended the sluggish development of Tigaraksa. He denied the establishment of the new capital had been a failure.

"We realize the situation and we'll seriously start the development of Tigaraksa this year," he said, adding that one way to break the isolation was to extend the existing Bintaro-BSD toll road up to Tigaraksa this year so that the new regency capital would have direct access to Jakarta and its adjacent sub- districts and districts.