Rano: Jakarta Government Aims to Build a City That Does Not Lose Its Humanity

Jakarta’s Deputy Governor Rano Karno stated that the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government wants to present a city that is competitive without losing its sense of humanity. “Because the measure of a city’s progress is not only in the glitter of its lights and the grandeur of its buildings,” Rano said during a Plenary Session commemorating Jakarta’s 499th anniversary in Jakarta on Monday. He added that progress is also measured by how far every child can dream, every family can live decently, every elderly person feels respected, and every citizen feels they have a place in the great home called Jakarta. Rano said the desired Jakarta is one that is open to the world but does not lose its culture, a Jakarta that is economically strong but does not lose its warmth of humanity, and a Jakarta that continues to advance in technology but does not lose “gotong royong” (mutual cooperation) as its soul. “This is the Jakarta we want to realise and bequeath as the city enters its fifth century,” he said. Embracing the spirit of approaching five centuries, Rano invited all parties to collaborate, revive gotong royong, unite steps, and together care for Jakarta. He expressed the hope that later, they can hand over a better Jakarta to the next generation: a Jakarta that is advanced, cultured, just, prosperous, and provides equal opportunities for all its citizens. Rano added that the momentum towards Jakarta’s 500th anniversary must serve as a starting point for all parties to prepare the city’s future more earnestly. “Not just a more advanced and more competitive future, but a more sustainable future. But also a more humane future. A future that brings a sense of security, opportunity, justice, and hope for all citizens,” he said.