Public upset about Tangerang capital

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.